Armed robbers entered the off-campus residence of six Georgetown students Sunday night, stealing valuables while the residents were still in the house.
Danielle Sullivan (NHS ‘04), one of the tenants of the Prospect Street residence, spotted an intruder in one of the house’s bathrooms and called for help.
“I tried to keep my voice under control, so he wouldn’t hear me,” she said, “But I wasn’t exactly feeling calm.”
The suspects, described as two dark skinned males in their 20s, fled the premises with three pieces of Tiffany jewelry, a digital camera and $18. One suspect is described as 6-foot-0 and 180 lbs., while the other is described as 5-foot-9 and 170 lbs.
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department arrived on the scene within five minutes of the 911 call, Sullivan said, and around 10 to 15 MPD and Georgetown University Department of Public Safety officers visited the house that night.
A public safety alert sent by DPS noted that front door of the residence was unlocked at the time of the crime. Charles VanSant, Director of Off-campus Student Life, noted that “crime is opportunistic.”
Students living in Georgetown, VanSant said, often forget that they are in the heart of a large city where crime does exist.
“Safety isn’t convenient,” he said.
DPS’s public safety alert also reminded students to lock all windows and secure all valuables and doors when at home and when leaving their residences. The alert also suggested that anyone observing a suspicious person or vehicle should provide DPS with a description.
Sullivan said that she still feels secure living in the area, but that in the future, she and her housemate will take extra precautions such as purchasing blinds for the front windows, securing any valuables inside and locking the house, even when they are home.
“I didn’t think to lock the front door because so many of us were at home. We always lock it when we go out,” Sullivan said.
MPD would not release information concerning the case.
This incident comes soon after a rash burglaries in the Georgetown area. There is no confirmed link between the recent incidences.
