INITIAL ALERTEmail
CRIME ALERT – ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY
This notice is a Timely Warning which is intended to alert our community about certain crimes occurring on campus which represent a serious or continuing threat to the community.
On Monday, March 9, 2026, at approximately 8:00 p.m., an individual reported that while riding a moped eastbound on Commonwealth Avenue near 820 Commonwealth Avenue, another individual operating a moped approached and displayed what appeared to be a firearm while demanding the victim's moped. The victim fled the area and was not injured.
The Boston University Police Department is actively assisting the Boston Police in reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident and encourages anyone who may have information to come forward and contact the Boston University Police at (617) 353-2121.
Standard BU Crime Alert preamble: 'This notice is a Timely Warning' — boilerplate language used across all BU Clery timely warnings
Vehicle-on-vehicle robbery is unusual: both attacker and victim on mopeds reflects the explosion of moped/scooter use on Comm Ave by 2026
820 Commonwealth Avenue is in the heart of BU's Charles River Campus — a Clery geography on-campus location
'What appeared to be a firearm' — careful Clery language; the alert avoids confirming a real gun since the suspect fled before identification
No suspect description is provided — common limitation when a victim flees rather than confronts
Email-primary delivery (no SMS) — robbery alerts at BU typically do not trigger BU Alert SMS, reserved for active threats