{ "id": "2026-10-29-university-of-southern-california-west-28th-street-robbery", "slug": "university-of-southern-california-west-28th-street-robbery-2026-10-29", "institution": { "name": "University of Southern California", "shortName": "USC", "state": "CA", "type": "private-r1", "alertSystemName": "USC DPS Crime Alert", "enrollment": 49000 }, "incident": { "date": "2026-10-29", "type": "robbery", "cleryCategory": "timely-warning", "resolution": "under-investigation", "headline": "Crime alert reports a wallet taken from a pedestrian on a nearby block", "headlinePublic": "Crime alert reports a wallet taken from a pedestrian on a nearby block", "summary": "USC Department of Public Safety posted a robbery alert on Thursday, October 29, 2026 for an 11:50 AM PDT snatch on the 600 block of West 28th Street, report 2604132, according to the [alert](https://dps.usc.edu/2026/10/29/robbery-180/). It says the suspect came from behind, took a wallet from the victim's right hand, and fled on foot on 28th Street.", "outcome": "The page described a man about 5 feet 6 inches tall, muscular, in all-black clothing, with no weapon and no vehicle. No arrest was stated. The page was last updated at 9:40 PM PDT on October 29, 2026." }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "Thursday, October 29, 2026; the page was last updated at 9:40 PM PDT, after an 11:50 AM PDT offense (a separate send time was not stated)", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "Incident Description: The victim was walking when the suspect approached from behind and snatched a wallet from the victim’s right hand. The suspect fled on foot on 28th Street and out of sight.\nReported Offense: Robbery\nDate & Time of Occurrence: 10/29/2026 11:50 a.m.\nLocation: 600 block of West 28th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007\nReport Number: 2604132\nVehicle Description: None\nSuspect Description (provided by reporting party):\nAge: Unknown\nEye Color: Unknown\nHair Color: Unknown\nHeight: 5 feet 6 inches\nRace: Unknown\nSex: Male\nWeight: Muscular\nAdditional Description: Wearing all black clothing\nWeapon: None\nIf you are in immediate DANGER, call the Los Angeles Police Department at 911 or the USC Department of Public Safety at (213) 740-4321.\nPlease note that race, ethnicity, gender and/or religious affiliation are NOT considered the basis for suspicion; only behaviors are considered suspicious.\nIf you have any questions or information relevant to the crime(s) reflected in this alert, immediately call DPS at (213) 740-6000 for the University Park Campus (UPC), (323) 442-1000 for the Health Sciences Campus (HSC) or (213) 485-6571 for the LAPD Southwest Division.\nThe purpose of this warning is to aid in the prevention of similar crimes by alerting the community about the incident and to provide information which allows individuals to make informed decisions about their personal safety.\nUSC Department of Public Safety Recommendations – Robbery\n- Not every person you meet has good intentions. Be cautious of strangers and keep a safe distance. There is safety in numbers, so travel with friends.\n- Avoid using cell phones or other technology while walking as criminals target distracted, inattentive individuals using them.\n- If you are the victim of a robbery remain calm and do not resist. Assure the robber you will cooperate and take no action that may jeopardize your safety. Do not make any quick or unexpected movements. Follow the robber’s direction, but do not offer more than they ask for. Don’t argue with the robber.\n- After the robbery, go immediately to a safe location and report the crime to law enforcement. Call DPS emergency for UPC at (213) 740-4321, for HSC call (323) 442-1000 or call 911 for LAPD.\n- If you observe a crime in progress, STAY CALM AND CALL DPS emergency for UPC at (213) 740-4321, for HSC call (323) 442-1000 or call 911 for LAPD.\n- Be a good witness: It is important to recall what you observed and provide as many details as possible to law enforcement such as: the sex, race, age, height, hair color, clothing, tattoos, scars of any suspects and a description of the make and model of any vehicle used in the crime and its license plate if possible.\n- Do not attempt to apprehend any suspects or perpetrators of crime.\nFor other options to contact DPS, report crime, and ask for help, please visit USC DPS Report a Crime.\nUSC Transportation provides options to travel around USC including the Lyft Rides Program:\n- Get a Ride : Lyft is available at HSC and UPC to cover shared rides. Lyft at UPC is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week (*on home football game days, the program begins 5 hours after scheduled kickoff). Lyft at HSC is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Friday only. Please visit the USC Lyft page for more information.\n- Verify your driver and car: Once you have requested a Lyft ride, you can view the driver’s rating. When your ride arrives, make sure the driver’s photo, license plate number, and vehicle description match. Never take a ride you did not request or get into a car that doesn’t match the details provided by the Lyft app.\n- Go the extra mile: The Lyft app’s “share your ETA” function allows you to invite friends to see your trip in real-time. The app will draft a text message you can share with friends that includes your ETA and a link to a live map that allows them to track your trip. Too much effort? Call a friend and stay on the line while you’re in the car instead.\nTo receive more information from USC DPS, please register for TrojansAlert:\n- TrojansAlert: Register for USC’s emergency notification system TrojansAlert t o allow university officials to contact you during an emergency by sending messages via text message and email. (Please note that students, staff and faculty automatically are signed up for TrojansAlerts.\nFor additional USC Resources, please visit USC Report & Response.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://dps.usc.edu/2026/10/29/robbery-180/", "sourceDescription": "USC DPS official crime alert page", "annotations": [ "Copied on 2026-11-02 from the official page HTML (primary source), block by block; inline link text kept, non-breaking spaces kept, page chrome excluded. The full entry-content, matching the archive's USC DPS convention (one line per paragraph, list item or table row). Suspect description kept because it is part of the official text.", "The page was read directly. The robbery-prevention tips that follow the incident block are not copied here, so the alert is not marked word-for-word.", "The page was last updated at 9:40 PM PDT on October 29, 2026. That stamp is the page update, not a confirmed email send time." ], "characterCount": 4410 } ], "context": "The [USC DPS robbery alert](https://dps.usc.edu/2026/10/29/robbery-180/) published October 29, 2026 places the offense at 11:50 AM PDT on the 600 block of West 28th Street, Los Angeles, report 2604132. The suspect fled on foot out of sight. The same notice appears in the department's [alerts archive](https://dps.usc.edu/category/alerts/). The page says the warning is meant to help prevent similar crimes. No independent news story was found, so confidence is low. The suspect is not named.", "keyFindings": [ "The alert describes a from-behind wallet snatch in daylight, with no weapon and no vehicle.", "The location is the 600 block of West 28th Street, a block DPS has used in other 2026 crime alerts near the University Park campus." ], "sources": [ { "title": "Robbery, October 29, 2026 (USC Department of Public Safety)", "url": "https://dps.usc.edu/2026/10/29/robbery-180/", "type": "official-archive", "accessDate": "2026-11-02" }, { "title": "Alerts archive (USC Department of Public Safety)", "url": "https://dps.usc.edu/category/alerts/", "type": "official-archive", "accessDate": "2026-10-30" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "2026", "fresh-week", "robbery", "timely-warning", "california", "single-source" ], "dateAdded": "2026-10-30", "lastUpdated": "2026-11-02", "addedBy": "ingestion" }