A reported robbery that occurred around 11 p.m. on Thursday was faked by a University student who was later arrested for filing a false police report about 2 p.m. on Friday, according to the University of Illinois Police Department.
According to a UIPD news release, the student was robbed at gunpoint outside of the Illini Union bookstore, and the alleged thief “demanded cash and tossed his iPhone on the ground, breaking it,” prompting UIPD to issue an Illini-Alert.
In an email, Alice Cary, UIPD police chief, said, “The guy who reported the offence told officers that his statement was false, and he was accordingly detained for making a police complaint.”
According to a news statement from the UIPD, the student filed a false police report to cover up for his shattered cell phone and was arrested and brought to the Champaign County Jail.
According to Pat Wade, senior director of strategic communications for the UIPD, police discovered the allegation was fake due to inconsistencies between the student’s account and surveillance camera evidence.
“(The student) stated that he was at specific locations at specific times,” Wade explained. “And then (detectives) went back to look at those security cameras again.” The student’s story did not match the images we were receiving from the security cameras.”
Detectives began asking further questions after studying the security camera footage, which led to the student admitting that the story was made up.
“We didn’t have images of him on the security cameras in the places he indicated he was,” Wade added.
Illini-Alerts are sent out as soon as feasible after reliable allegations of crimes involving students, according to Wade.
“Whenever we get new knowledge, we want our community to be informed of it so they can protect themselves with the greatest information available,” Wade said.
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