By Joe Johnson
When a University of Georgia student was confronted by an armed robber on campus Friday night she was able to get police to quickly respond and arrest the suspect by keeping her cool and using her wits.
According to the UGA Police Department, the 19-year-old student from Suwanee gave the following account of events:
She was looking at her phone while walking on South Lumpkin Street in the area of the Hill Hall pedestrian crosswalk when the robber, whose face was covered by a purple bandanna approached and displayed a handgun.
Holding the gun at the student's head, the suspect threatened to shoot if she didn't give him her phone. He explained that he wanted it because he was in need of money.
Telling the perp that a friend of hers had an extra phone that she could get for him, the student then called the friend in Hill Hall and in Korean -- so that the gunman wouldn't understand what she was saying -- told about how she was being held at gunpoint and provided a physical description of the suspect to include the black and white camouflage sweatshirt that he was wearing.
The friend, also 19 and from Suwanee, ran to the dorm's front desk to tell the resident assistant about what was going on, and the RA immediately relayed that information to UGA police.
Officers responded to the area of the hold-up and upon seeing the suspect, they chased after and arrested him at gunpoint near the basketball court at the Myers Hall quad.
Identified as 17-year-old Jeremiah Scott of Rocksprings Court, the suspect was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a pistol by a person under the age of 18, carrying a weapon in a school safety zone, possession of a firearm in the commission of certain felonies, and obstruction of law enforcement.
Scott is being detained at the county jail without bail set for his release.
Though she had demonstrated poise under pressure the student was badly shaken up by the ordeal, and an officer helped her with breathing techniques to regain composure prior to taking a statement for the police report.