 Media Credit: Patrick Sullivan
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Mark Schiavone and Danielle Louvier were cutting across campus on their way to an off-campus residence during the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 25, when a masked man carrying a BB pistol approached them in the area between Morton Hall and Leutze Hall and demanded money. The BB pistol, according to the UNCW Police, had the appearance of a real gun. "Mark and I were approaching the water fountain in between Morton and Leutze when all of a sudden a man came out of nowhere and screamed 'get on the ground.' We turned around and saw a man standing there in a blue mask holding a gun in the air," Louvier said. After the two students told the gunman they did not have any money, he snatched Louvier's purse and ran in the direction of Randall Library. Louvier was able to call 911, and the UNCW Police arrived within minutes and arrested the gunman. "When he pulled the purse off my shoulders, luckily my cell phone fell out, so I immediately called the police. They were there in less than two minutes," Louvier said. The quick apprehension of the suspect was also due in part to a calculated decision made by Schiavone to pursue the gunman after he fled with the purse and hold him until police arrived. "He grabbed the purse and started taking off, and I just made a split second decision to chase him," said Schiavone Schiavone chased the gunman towards Randall Library, and later in the direction of the clock tower, where he was able to tackle him. At that point, Schiavone felt the gun, realized it was not real, and decided to hold the perpetrator until police arrived. The masked gunman, whose name has not been released, was not a UNCW student nor did he have any affiliation with the university. According to Schiavone and Louvier, he was an 18-year-old Pender County resident. In light of the incident, students are reminded to be aware of their surroundings at night and practice safety procedures such as walking in large groups in well-lit areas, carrying cell phones, and being familiar and aware of their surroundings. Incidents such as this one are rare on the UNCW campus, but do happen. "This should be a reminder to our community that the possibility of crime and violent crime really exists in all communities and UNCW is not immune to that," said UNCW Police Chief David Donaldson. According to Chief Donaldson, the 18-year-old gunman was arrested and charged with armed robbery, attempted armed robbery and the possession of a weapon on school grounds. He was placed under a $100,000 bond. Louvier and Schiavone did not expect to be robbed that night, especially not while on campus, but crimes like this can happen anywhere, and being aware of that possibility will help keep students safe. "One of the last things I thought was going to happen to me that night was that I was going to get robbed. UNCW is the safest neighborhood in Wilmington, but even in the safest neighborhood, crimes can happen," Schiavone said.
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