‘Stuff the Squad’ to benefit food bank
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois — Local police, including the University of Illinois Police Department, are holding a friendly competition as the holidays approach to put meals on the tables of local families. Departments are "competing" to see which can bring in the most food donations, all of which will go to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. The University of Illinois Police Department (the eventual winner) will accept donations Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at State Farm Center (west circle drive), 1800 S. First St., Champaign. All donations will stay within our community. For those who can't make it on Nov. [...]
Sexual extortion
A U. of I. student reported that she engaged in conversation with another person through an app described as "highly sexual in nature." The conversation moved to Instagram, where intimate photos were exchanged. The offender then threatened to send the student's photos for her social media contacts unless the student paid money. The student attempted to pay, but the transaction was declined. She then contacted police when the threats continued.
University Police investigating off-campus shooting
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – A shooting at a large house party just off campus Sunday morning injured one U. of I. student and prompted an Illini-Alert emergency notification. At 4:20 a.m. Sunday, multiple 911 callers reported that shots had been fired outside of a large house party in the 600 block of South Third Street, Champaign. Preliminary investigation suggests that two men at the party became involved in an altercation, which escalated into both producing firearms and attempting to shoot the other. One uninvolved bystander, a U. of I. student, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to a local [...]
Attempted retail theft leads to stabbing
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – University Police are investigating after an attempted retail theft Thursday morning at an off-campus convenience store resulted in a store employee receiving non-life-threatening stab wounds. The incident prompted a campuswide Illini-Alert notification sent to all students, faculty and staff. Police initially were called at 3:53 a.m. Thursday by a store employee at Circle K, 51 E. Green St., Champaign, who reported that he was stabbed during a struggle with a man who attempted to take alcohol from the store without paying. Recognizing the theft in progress, the employee attempted to detain the offender. A physical struggle ensued, [...]
Fake watch offer
A U. of I. student reported that he attempted to purchase a watch being offered for sale through the OfferUp app. The student used a banking app to pay the initial asking price of $350, and then the purported seller continued to demand more money to cover shipping costs. The seller then sent false shipping tracking information and demanding another payment. The student ended communication and contacted police. By this time, he had paid a total of $489 in six separate transactions.