{
  "id": "2025-10-28-university-of-houston-tdecu-bank-robbery",
  "slug": "university-of-houston-tdecu-bank-robbery-2025-10-28",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Houston",
    "shortName": "UH",
    "state": "TX",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UH Alert",
    "enrollment": 47000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-10-28",
    "type": "robbery",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "headline": "Robbery, October 28, 2025",
    "summary": "Around 1:30 p.m. on October 28, 2025, a man [robbed the TDECU credit union](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/crime/2025/10/28/534543/university-of-houston-student-center-armed-robbery-campus-safety/) inside the University of Houston's Student Center South at 4455 University Drive. The suspect displayed a black handgun, handed the teller a note demanding cash, and fled on foot before leaving in a silver SUV. No one was hurt. The FBI and UH Police [dubbed the suspect the 'Cougar Campus Crook'](https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/houston/news/fbi-houston-seeks-cougar-campus-crook-for-armed-bank-robbery) and offered a reward through Crime Stoppers.",
    "outcome": "The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash. The FBI Violent Crime Task Force and UHPD released surveillance images; Crime Stoppers of Houston offered up to $5,000. The same branch was robbed again in January 2026.",
    "resolution": "under-investigation"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-10-28T17:03:44-05:00",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 1:30 p.m. on October 28, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Security Alert - CASE#25-1452 - Armed Bank Robbery - TDECU at Student Center South - See: www.uh.edu/police/safety-security/securityalerts",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "UH ALERT official Notification Archive (alerts.uh.edu API textMessage)",
      "annotations": [
        "The alert pairs a precise location (Student Center South, 4455 University Dr.) with a detailed clothing description, the standard format for a bank-robbery timely warning where the threat has already fled.",
        "The 'fled on foot, then in a silver SUV' detail tracks the published witness account of the getaway.",
        "Exact UH Alert wording was not archived verbatim; reconstruction based on multiple Houston-media summaries, so marked unconfirmed.",
        "Verbatim SMS textMessage from UH ALERT official API CASE#25-1452 Armed Bank Robbery TDECU"
      ],
      "characterCount": 138,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alerts.uh.edu/alert-archive/?id=2226134699738291"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-10-28T17:03:44-05:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Synopsis: At approximately 1615 hours, an individual robbed the Texas Dupont Employees Credit Union (TDECU) at student Center South by brandishing a firearm.  The suspect was last observed driving towards the MLK Southbound/Calhoun exit.\n\nSuspect #1: Black male, wearing black Astros baseball hat, black long sleeve hoodie, with black pants, and white shoes.\n\nWeapon: Black handgun, unknown type\n\nVehicle: Silver SUV, last seen traveling to MLK Southbound from Calhoun Road.\n\nUniversity of Houston Security Alerts are archived at www.uh.edu/police/safety-security/securityalerts",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alerts.uh.edu/alert-archive/?id=2226134699738291",
      "sourceDescription": "UH ALERT official Notification Archive (alerts.uh.edu API rftContent email body)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact rftContent email/web body from UH ALERT official API (paired with SMS textMessage for case 25-1452)"
      ],
      "characterCount": 578
    }
  ],
  "context": "The Texas Dow Employees Credit Union (TDECU) branch inside the University of Houston's Student Center South sits in the heart of campus. On October 28, 2025, [Houston Public Media reported](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/crime/2025/10/28/534543/university-of-houston-student-center-armed-robbery-campus-safety/) that a man displayed a black handgun, passed a note demanding cash around 1:30 p.m., and fled with an undisclosed sum. [KHOU](https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/university-of-houston-tdecu-robbery/285-46d101e4-fd21-46e6-bf86-b270caeabd58) described the getaway in a silver SUV headed southbound on MLK from Calhoun Road. The [FBI's Houston field office](https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/houston/news/fbi-houston-seeks-cougar-campus-crook-for-armed-bank-robbery) dubbed the still-unidentified suspect the 'Cougar Campus Crook' and released surveillance images, with Crime Stoppers offering up to $5,000. The same TDECU branch was [robbed again in January 2026](https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/01/08/armed-robbery-reported-at-uhs-tdecu-credit-union-for-second-time-since-october/), making this an early case in a repeat-target pattern and a rare example of an on-campus financial-institution robbery generating a Clery warning.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "An on-campus credit union inside a student center was robbed at gunpoint via a demand note, prompting a UH Alert timely warning",
    "The FBI joined UHPD and branded the suspect the 'Cougar Campus Crook,' offering a Crime Stoppers reward",
    "The same branch was robbed again roughly two months later, establishing a repeat-target pattern"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "University of Houston reports armed robbery in student center - Houston Public Media",
      "url": "https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/crime/2025/10/28/534543/university-of-houston-student-center-armed-robbery-campus-safety/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Man robs TDECU bank inside UH Student Center, university officials say - KHOU",
      "url": "https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/university-of-houston-tdecu-robbery/285-46d101e4-fd21-46e6-bf86-b270caeabd58",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "FBI Houston Seeks 'Cougar Campus Crook' for Armed Bank Robbery - FBI",
      "url": "https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/houston/news/fbi-houston-seeks-cougar-campus-crook-for-armed-bank-robbery",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Armed robbery reported at UH's TDECU credit union for second time since October - Click2Houston",
      "url": "https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/01/08/armed-robbery-reported-at-uhs-tdecu-credit-union-for-second-time-since-october/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UH ALERT Notification Archive / API",
      "url": "https://alerts.uh.edu/alert-archive/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UH ALERT API v2 (full alert feed)",
      "url": "https://alerts.uh.edu/api/v2/uh/all?limit=500",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UH system ALERT API v2",
      "url": "https://alerts.uh.edu/api/v2/uh/all",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UH ALERT official Notification Archive (alerts.uh.edu API textMessage)",
      "url": "https://alerts.uh.edu/alert-archive/?id=2226134699738291",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "robbery",
    "bank-robbery",
    "timely-warning",
    "texas",
    "credit-union",
    "fbi"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-29",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-20",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}