INITIAL ALERTEmail
CRIME ALERT 23-002
On November 17th at 12:49 a.m., CMU Police assisted in the investigation of an aggravated assault with an airsoft/pellet gun that occurred in the 5000 Block of Forbes Avenue in the Oakland area. At 12:57 a.m., while officers were searching the area, a CMU Security Officer reported being struck on the arm by a pellet while walking along the sidewalk in the 5000 block of Forbes Avenue. The pellet appeared to be fired by someone in a passing vehicle. The Security Officer was not injured as a result of being struck by the projectile.
Through the investigation, a suspect vehicle was identified as possibly being involved in the incident on Forbes Avenue as well as similar incidents in other locations in the Oakland area. Investigators continue to attempt to track down the occupants of the vehicle and the identity of the person who discharged the airsoft/pellet gun. Anyone with information is asked to contact CMU Police at 412-268-2323.
Issued as a 'Crime Alert' rather than an 'Emergency Notification' because the incident was not an immediate ongoing threat — the suspect vehicle had fled and no injuries occurred
Naming both the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the University of Pittsburgh Police in the same alert reflects Oakland's three-way jurisdictional overlap among CMU, Pitt, and city police
Listing 12:49 a.m. (the broader Oakland reports) and 12:57 a.m. (the CMU Security Officer strike) separately preserves a precise eight-minute timeline that helps readers connect the on-campus incident to the wider neighborhood pattern
The 5000 block of Forbes Avenue is the spine of the CMU campus, running directly past the Cohon University Center