last updated 10:33 a.m. on July 5

Thursday (July 2, 2009) the UW community signed up with the UW Alert system received notification around 5 p.m. that two suspects had fled the scene of a robbery that occurred north of campus. The suspects were not apprehended, and people were advised to stay alert through broadcasts on the campus outdoor alert system.

According to the UW Police Department (UWPD), the robbery occurred at a business in the area of Northeast 52nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue Northeast. Witnesses followed the suspects down Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) received a 911 call that the perpetrators were at Brooklyn Avenue Northeast and Northeast Campus Parkway. Officers searched the area, but were unable to locate the suspects as they headed westbound on Northeast Campus Parkway. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspects.

Barista Lillian Morlock said the perpetrators entered the store and demanded the money without causing a scene.

"They came in, they looked around and they kind of seemed nervous," Morlock said. "Rather than checking out small things that make the store unique, they were checking out whether there were people around and whether it was a good time."

The UW community was notified of the incident via the UW Alert system, which emails, text messages, and calls the phones of subscribers as part of a crisis communication network on campus. The outdoor alert system also notified students through broadcasts over the speaker system that could be heard on and around campus earlier today.

“Our only goal [was] to get some quick information out there on UW Alert so that people could be cautions,” said UWPD assistant chief Ray Wittmier. “Providing that information via UW Alert increased our chances that we could get a 911 call that could assist in the apprehension.”

Morlock said she does not feel that similar offenses are common place in the area.

"I definitely think it's not something that would happen very often," Morlock said. "It's a coffee shop. I still feel safe working at [the] place, even when I'm alone."

The case is currently under investigation by the SPD. UW students, staff, and faculty can sign up for UW alerts by visiting https://www.uwalerts.org.

Reach Arts Editor Lexie Krell at news@dailyuw.com.