UCI police step up patrols near student housing after kidnapping attempt
UC Irvine police were increasing patrols around university apartments Tuesday night after a man tried to kidnap a female student earlier in the day.
About 5:40 a.m., a man in a blue Toyota RAV4 pulled up to the student, who was walking near a university housing complex in the 200 block of Arroyo Drive, and asked if she needed a ride home, UCI officials said. She told him she did not.
The driver then told the student he had a gun.
“He wanted her to get in the car,” UCI spokesman Tom Vasich said.
When the student refused to get in the vehicle, the man drove off toward California Avenue. He drove an older-model, four-door car with something hanging from the rearview mirror, authorities said.
In a crime alert to the campus community, UCI police advised students to cross the street, yell or run to a well-lit area if they think they’re being followed. Authorities also reminded students about the safety escort program, which is available to anyone by calling (949) 824-7233.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call UCI police at (949) 824-5223.
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @AleneTchek
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