Two Samford students, junior journalism and mass communication major Britney Almaguer and sophomore journalism and mass communication major Val Kikkert, were robbed at gunpoint Friday night before attending a concert downtown.
The girls along with two male students, junior journalism and mass communication major Jay Boyd and senior sports medicine major Jacob McInnis, parked near Workplay, [a local bar that features rock concerts and other entertainment] and were about to walk to the concert when two men, one who carried a gun, approached them.
"We were getting out of the car on the passenger side, and the guys were on the driver's side," Kikkert said. "I was just putting my leg out of the car when I sensed that there was someone in front of me. I looked up and saw the barrel of a gun in my face."
After grabbing the purse off of Kikkert's shoulder, the gunman immediately turned to Almaguer. "I saw him come up to Val, and I still have a brilliant image of the gun up to her head," Almaguer said. "It seemed like it took forever and then there was a gun to my side. My whole body went icy, and I practically threw my purse at him."
Just before robbing the girls, the two men attempted to rob another man who pushed the gunman away and ran down the street. The men began to follow with one screaming, "Shoot him," until they saw the car pull up and the girls get out. Boyd and McInnis were on the driver's side of the car and had walked a few steps away when the incident happened.
"We didn't even see any of it happen. We were talking and goofing off and didn't know what was going on," Boyd said. "We walked around the car and saw two guys running by." The group got back into the car and drove to find the nearest police officer."We pulled around and saw a cop car with its light flashing and filed a report," Boyd said.
Kikkert and Almaguer only lost the few material possessions in their purses, including their cell phones and few dollars. "I had left my wallet at home that night and only took what I needed," Almaguer said. "God really protected us through this whole thing."
The witnesses described the man as a black male, about 6 feet 2 inches tall, wearing a white T-shirt, baggy jeans and a flat-billed hat. "I got a full picture of him. I go over it and over it again in my head," Almaguer said. "But it definitely could have been worse. Something else could have happened, and the gun could have gone off."
Though Birmingham has one of the highest crime rates in the country, Samford students often feel that they are removed from these situations."I used to think that this could never happen to me but it did," Kikkert said. "We were lucky that all they wanted were our purses. Those are replaceable, but life is not."
There are some ways that students can try avoid a situation like this one. "Don't just settle for any parking spot around the corner," Kikkert said. "Be aware of your surroundings." Boyd said, "If someone were to find themselves in this situation, I would tell them not to resist and find the police immediately."
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