A U employee was allegedly assaulted and robbed on a Utah Transit Authority TRAX car en route to work Friday night.
The incident occurred some time before 8:51 p.m. near the Fort Douglas station outside of the Donna Garff Marriott Residential Scholars Community, according to an email from the U’s Housing and Residential Education office.
Remi Barron, UTA spokesman, said transit authority officers are currently investigating the situation as a false police report. Barron said the victim’s rendering of the events show discrepancies when compared with the available evidence in the case.
“The video surveillance doesn’t support what the person reported,” Barron said.
Barron was unable to release an exact time for the alleged assault on Friday night, but confirmed it was “in that area” around Fort Douglas. The completion date for the investigation is also unknown at this time. UTA will not be releasing any additional information until the investigation is done, and currently no charges have been filed, Barron said.
The U’s email detailed the incident to students living on campus for safety purposes. The housing office suggests students take precautions on TRAX by traveling with a friend, taking note of their surroundings and calling police to report any suspicious activity.
Chad Jensen, associate director for administrative services in the U’s housing office, said students should be aware of the unexpected in public transit. He said there is not a lot the victim could have done to prepare for the situation.
“It’s one of those things where it’s not the person’s fault,” Jensen said. “I think for the most part we live in a safe city, and for the most part a safe campus, so sometimes we can lull ourselves into a sense of security. But always keep your eyes open and your ears open for those types of things.”
The U is unable to release the gender and the university department of employment of the victim.
“Regardless of whether it would have been a U employee or a student or anyone, we just try and keep our students aware that something happened in their proximity,” Jensen said.
U Police did not respond to the incident, and the Salt Lake City Police Department is searching their records for more information in the case. The Daily Utah Chronicle will not disclose the name of the victim.
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