Gainesville police are still searching for a man accused of robbing two women in a neighborhood near sorority row early Friday.
A 24-year-old UF student and a 27-year-old woman were walking on Southwest Ninth Street when a man came up from behind and stuck a silver handgun in the student's face, said Cpl. Angelina Valuri, GPD spokeswoman.
"Give up the purse," the man reportedly told the student.
The student gave up her bag and lay on the street. The other woman said the suspect is a black man in his late 20s. He is about 5 feet 7 inches with an average build, and he was wearing a black T-shirt.
After the robbery, the suspect ran north, Valuri said. He remains at large.
The women ran for help, and a man in the neighborhood called 911 at 12:19 a.m. The GPD's K-9 unit tracked down the purse at SW 5th Street, about a block north of where the robbery occurred. Nothing from the purse was missing, Valuri said.
This is the second armed robbery in the area in a month. On Monday, the Alligator ran a letter from UPD Chief Linda Stump advising students of the dangers of walking alone at night.
Anyone with information should call GPD at 352-955-1818 or Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Police line Southwest Eighth Avenue early Friday morning during the search for an armed suspect who robbed a woman at gunpoint near Sorority Row, according to GPD Lt. Jorge Campos.
