Campus Alert Archive
Howard

Howard Student Pistol-Whipped and Robbed of His Belt Walking to Class at 9:30 a.m. -- DPS Alert Omits Victim Status and Location

DCrobberytimely warningmedium confidence
Under Investigation

On the morning of November 20, 2023, a Howard University student was pistol-whipped and robbed by two armed men while walking to class at approximately 9:30 a.m. EST on Howard Place NW adjacent to the Howard Mackey Building of Architecture. The attackers held the student at gunpoint with two handguns, struck him in the head and mouth with a gun butt, and robbed him of a $600 Gucci belt before fleeing. DPS issued a crime alert later that morning but notably omitted both the victim's status as a Howard student and the exact location of the robbery, drawing criticism from The Hilltop.

Alerts
1
Response
30 min
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Howard University
Hbcu · DC
~12,000 studentsHU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction530 chars
CRIME ALERT: On November 20, 2023, at approximately 9:30 a.m., an Armed Robbery occurred on Howard Place NW, Washington, DC. The victim reported that two suspects approached him, displayed handguns, and demanded his property. The suspects struck the victim and fled the scene with his belongings. The lookout is for two Black male suspects of medium build. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Howard University Department of Public Safety at (202) 806-1100 or the Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 727-9099.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The DPS crime alert was sent shortly after 10 a.m. EST on November 20, 2023 -- approximately 30 minutes after the 9:30 a.m. robbery -- meeting the Clery Act's timely-warning expectation for robberies
Notably, according to The Hilltop, DPS did not disclose in the alert that the victim was a Howard University student, nor did it specify that the location was the Howard Mackey Building of Architecture on Howard Place NW
The two suspects confronted the victim and used two handguns, struck him in the mouth with a gun butt causing his lip to bleed, and struck him over the head before robbing him of a $600 Gucci belt; the attackers held him at gunpoint for five to six minutes
Context

Background

The November 20, 2023 robbery at the Howard Mackey Building, which houses Howard's College of Engineering and Architecture, occurred at 9:30 a.m. on a weekday morning -- an unusual time for armed robbery near campus. The Howard Mackey Building sits on Howard Place NW at the foot of the main campus hill, a heavily trafficked pedestrian route during morning class hours. The Hilltop reported that DPS's crime alert did not identify the victim as a Howard student or specify the Mackey Building by name, making it harder for students to contextualize the risk. The November robbery occurred just three months after the August 14 fight-club attack near Howard Plaza Towers, deepening concern about campus security in fall 2023. The robbery also occurred in daylight hours during a normally busy campus period, reinforcing that crime near Howard's campus was not confined to late-night hours.
Analysis

Key Findings

Daylight armed robbery at 9:30 a.m. on a weekday near Howard's main campus gate -- unusual timing pattern
Two suspects held the student at gunpoint for five to six minutes before robbing him of a $600 belt, reflecting brazen armed robbery in open campus corridors
DPS crime alert criticized for omitting the victim's Howard affiliation and the specific building location
Occurred just three months after the August 2023 fight-club assault near Park Towers, in a semester defined by repeated violent incidents near Howard's campus
Outcome
Student victim sustained lip lacerations from pistol-whipping and head injury from gun strikes. No arrests reported. DPS crime alert issued later the same morning.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Howard University student pistol-whipped, robbed while walking to class (The Hilltop)
    thehilltoponline.com
  2. News
    Howard University student robbed at gunpoint: police (FOX 5 DC)
    fox5dc.com
  3. News
    Howard University student robbed at gunpoint walking to class (Black Enterprise)
    blackenterprise.com
  4. Official
    2023 Crime Alerts - Howard University Department of Public Safety
    publicsafety.howard.edu
Tags
robberyarmed-robberyhbcuwashington-dcmackey-buildingdaylight-robberytimely-warningdps-transparencypistol-whippingfall-semester-2023Under Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion