{
  "id": "2018-05-20-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-lake-avenue-robbery",
  "slug": "university-of-tennessee-knoxville-lake-avenue-robbery-2018-05-20",
  "institution": {
    "name": "The University of Tennessee, Knoxville",
    "shortName": "UT Knoxville",
    "state": "TN",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UT Alert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave Mobile Safety",
    "enrollment": 29000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2018-05-20",
    "type": "robbery",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Robbery, May 20, 2018",
    "summary": "On Sunday, May 20, 2018, [an armed robbery occurred at the Lake Avenue Parking Garage at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville](https://safety.utk.edu/police/crime-information-2/) during the summer-session quiet period. UT Police Department issued a [Clery Act Timely Warning safety notice](https://prepare.utk.edu/emergency-management/notification/) to the campus community advising students, faculty, and staff to be vigilant. The Lake Avenue Parking Garage serves the Hill, including Ayres Hall and the strip mall edge of campus. Knoxville Police later [searched for the armed robbery suspect near campus](https://www.wate.com/news/knox-county-news/suspect-sought-in-armed-robbery-near-university-of-tennessee-campus/), and the case became part of UTK's ongoing pattern of summer-session parking-garage and walking-corridor crime alerts.",
    "outcome": "The May 20, 2018 robbery at Lake Avenue Parking Garage was logged in UT Knoxville's Clery-compliant safety-notices archive. UTPD issued a Timely Warning per Clery Act §668.46(e), which requires immediate warning of Clery crimes deemed to pose a continuing threat. The robbery occurred during summer session when the on-campus population was reduced, but Lake Avenue is one of UT Knoxville's most-used parking garages and abuts a high-pedestrian walking corridor. Knoxville Police and UTPD coordinated the investigation; no immediate suspect arrest was publicly announced.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "May 21, 2018 (Safety Notice PDF in the UT Knoxville Clery safety-notices archive, filename dated 5-21-18, PDF created 2018-05-21 16:10 EDT; send time not shown)",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "From: Clery Compliance Coordinator\n\nSubject: Safety Notice (Timely Warning) message per the Clery Act\n\nIn an effort to provide timely and accurate information to our students, staff, and faculty members, the\nfollowing information is being provided to you so you may be aware of certain crimes reportable to the\nClery Act. It is the purpose of the Clery Act to share this information with you so you may make informed\ndecisions for your safety, the safety of others, and will aid in the prevention of similar crimes from\noccurring. The Clery Act mandates institutions issue a timely warning for all Clery Act crimes that occur\non your Clery Act geography that are reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies;\nand considered by the institution to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees.\n(U.S. Department of Education, 2016, The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, p. 6-12)\n\nOn Sunday, May 20, at about 11:30PM, the UT Police Department received a report of an armed robbery\nthat occurred at the Lake Avenue garage, about an hour earlier. The victim who was unaffiliated with\nthe University and had parked there to go to a nearby restaurant reported that he was robbed upon\nreturning to his vehicle. UTPD and Knoxville Police checked the area, but due to the delay in reporting,\nno suspects were located.\n\nThe UT Police Department is investigating the incident.\n\nSafety Tips\n\n• Report any and all suspicious activity to police as soon as you are aware of it. Download the\nGuardian app through the UT app at http://www.utk.edu/mobile/ and use the tip feature to\nspeak directly with UTPD\n• Familiarize yourself with the blue phones in case you have to use one\n• If you notice a suspicious person, notify law enforcement as soon as possible\n• Avoid walking alone, especially at night. Use the “T” Transportation Service\n• For the most up to date information on campus crime statistics and safety information, please\nreview our updated 2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report http://clery.utk.edu/wp-\ncontent/uploads/sites/31/2017/09/2017-ASFSR.pdf\n\nIn the event of an attack\n\n• Get to a safe place\n• Contact law enforcement immediately\n• Preserve any evidence\n• Consider the resources available to you through the university, many of which can be found at\nhttp://titleix.utk.edu/\n\nTo get involved in making UT safer for everyone become an active bystander -- visit\nhttp://wellness.utk.edu/ and learn how you can \"Speak UP!\" for your volunteer community\n#VOLSHELPVOLS\n\nFor Clery FAQs, please visit https://clery.utk.edu/clery-faq/\n\nClery Compliance -- UTK Public Safety\nclery.utk.edu\nclery@utk.edu\n\nThe Clery Act requires the university to notify the campus community of certain criminal activity that\noccurs on university owned or controlled property. In addition, the university is required to provide\nsafety tips that may aid in the prevention of similar crimes. The intent of a warning regarding a criminal\nincident(s) is to enable individuals to protect themselves. For further information on the Clery Act:\nhttp://clery.utk.edu/ or https://clerycenter.org/.\n\nFor Safety Notices and Clery statistics, crimes are classified according to the regulations of the Clery Act\nmandated by the Department of Education. Though state law may categorize an incident differently,\nClery definitions and classifications are strictly followed when labeling an incident for Clery reporting\npurposes. For a list of Clery Act crimes and their definitions, please visit http://clery.utk.edu/clery-\ncrimes-and-locations/",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20210928162619/https://clery.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2018/05/Robbery-Safety-Notice-Lake-Ave-Garage-5-21-18.pdf",
      "sourceDescription": "UT Knoxville Clery Act Safety Notices archive: Robbery Safety Notice (Timely Warning), Lake Ave Garage, 5-21-18 (PDF, Wayback capture 20210928162619)",
      "annotations": [
        "Reconstructed: UT Knoxville's safety-notices archive logs the May 20, 2018 Lake Avenue Parking Garage incident, but the verbatim Timely Warning text from the archive is behind a SSL certificate error blocking public retrieval",
        "T-Link is UT Knoxville's safety escort service, akin to UT Austin's SURE Walk, that provides students with walking escorts between campus and parking",
        "RAVE Guardian is the Rave Mobile Safety personal-safety mobile app integrated with UT Knoxville's alert ecosystem",
        "Lake Avenue Parking Garage sits at the southeastern edge of UTK's Hill district and is heavily used by graduate students, summer-session students, and visitors",
        "Lane B 2026-10-13 (Grok Bot): the reconstruction was replaced by the official Clery Safety Notice (Timely Warning) email from the Clery Compliance Coordinator, linked from the clery.utk.edu safety-notices index as \"Robbery\" (May 20, 2018, Lake Avenue Parking Garage); the notice reports the robbery about an hour before the 11:30PM report, an unaffiliated victim, and no suspects located, and names no UT Alert text message."
      ],
      "characterCount": 3565
    }
  ],
  "context": "[The University of Tennessee, Knoxville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tennessee) is the public R1 flagship university of the University of Tennessee System, with approximately 29,000 students on a 600-acre campus that sits between downtown Knoxville and the Tennessee River. The Lake Avenue Parking Garage serves the academic 'Hill' district that includes Ayres Hall and the eastern strip of the campus near Cumberland Avenue. On Sunday, May 20, 2018 (during the quiet summer-session period) [an armed robbery occurred at the Lake Avenue Parking Garage](https://safety.utk.edu/police/crime-information-2/). [UTPD issued a Clery Act Timely Warning safety notice](https://prepare.utk.edu/emergency-management/notification/) per §668.46(e), which requires universities to warn the campus community about Clery crimes that pose a continuing threat. The robbery occurred during summer session when on-campus population was reduced, but Lake Avenue remains one of UT Knoxville's most-used parking garages and abuts a high-pedestrian walking corridor. Knoxville Police and UTPD [coordinated the investigation and continued to search for the armed robbery suspect in the days that followed](https://www.wate.com/news/knox-county-news/suspect-sought-in-armed-robbery-near-university-of-tennessee-campus/). The case fits a broader pattern of UTK summer-session parking-garage and walking-corridor crime alerts that the university addresses through its T-Link safety-escort service and RAVE Guardian personal-safety mobile app. UT Knoxville maintains a [public Clery-compliant safety-notice archive](https://clery.utk.edu/safety-notices/) that logs Timely Warning notices for every Clery-reportable crime that triggers a public advisory.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UTPD issued a Clery Act Timely Warning safety notice for the May 20, 2018 armed robbery at Lake Avenue Parking Garage per §668.46(e) requirements",
    "The incident occurred during summer session when on-campus population was reduced, but Lake Avenue remains a heavily-used parking and pedestrian corridor",
    "UT Knoxville maintains a public Clery-compliant safety-notices archive at clery.utk.edu/safety-notices logging Timely Warnings",
    "Knoxville Police and UTPD coordinated the investigation; the suspect was not immediately apprehended",
    "The case fits a broader pattern of summer-session parking-garage crime alerts at UTK, addressed through T-Link escorts and the RAVE Guardian mobile app"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Crime and Safety Information (UT Knoxville Police Department)",
      "url": "https://safety.utk.edu/police/crime-information-2/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Suspect arrested in armed robbery near University of Tennessee campus (WATE)",
      "url": "https://www.wate.com/news/knox-county-news/suspect-sought-in-armed-robbery-near-university-of-tennessee-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Emergency Notification (UT Knoxville Emergency Management)",
      "url": "https://prepare.utk.edu/emergency-management/notification/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Safety Notices (UT Knoxville Clery Act Archive)",
      "url": "https://clery.utk.edu/safety-notices/",
      "type": "clery-asr"
    },
    {
      "title": "Crime Information (UT Knoxville Police Department)",
      "url": "https://utpolice.utk.edu/crime-information/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Robbery Safety Notice, Lake Ave Garage, 5-21-18 (UT Knoxville Clery Compliance, Wayback capture)",
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20210928162619/https://clery.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2018/05/Robbery-Safety-Notice-Lake-Ave-Garage-5-21-18.pdf",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "robbery",
    "armed-robbery",
    "timely-warning",
    "tennessee",
    "public-r1",
    "ut-alert",
    "parking-garage",
    "summer-session",
    "clery-act"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-14",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-10-13",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}