IU Police Chief praises actions of students chased on Atwater

The two female IU students chased by an unidentified man early Sunday got “everything right” and avoided a potentially bad situtation, IU Police Chief Keith Cash said.

“They walked in a pair, ran away from a bad situation and sought help from police when they needed it,” he said.

According to an IU-Notify email, the two 18-year-old students were walking west on Atwater Avenue near Fess Avenue at 12:44 a.m. Sunday when a man started following them.

The women began walking in the opposite direction, then ran when the man continued to  follow them.
 
When they approached an IUPD officer, the man following them fled.

Cash said because the suspect still has not been found and his intentions remain unclear, students should take safety precautions.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Cash said. “Do not put yourself in uncomfortable or
dangerous situations.”

The chase was the second safety incident during Welcome Week.

 Early Wednesday, a 22-year-old female student reported being robbed as she passed under a train overpass on North Indiana Avenue between 12th and 13th streets.

The male suspect stole both the woman’s purse and her cell phone before fleeing, Sgt. Jeff Canada of the Bloomington Police Department said.
 
The two incidents have left some IU students feeling uneasy.

Junior Abby Gehlhausen said after living in Bloomington this summer and watching the Lauren Spierer case unfold, the incident shook her up.

“It still trips me up because our house is by Atwater,” Gehlhausen said. “This whole situation just points out the fact that we need to walk in large groups.”

Gehlhausen’s friend and fellow junior Erin Schultheis said walking in large groups eases the fear that something will happen while walking home late at night.

“Never walk alone,” Schultheis said.  “Always with some friends or people that you know are going to look out for each other.”

Freshmen Alisha Keck and Haley Duffy said although two incidents happened in one week, they still felt relatively safe, mainly because they live on campus.

“Stuff is going to happen anywhere,” Keck said. “I feel good about coming to Indiana University.”

If anyone has any information about either incident, they should call IUPD at 812-855-4111.