CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – An early morning armed robbery in Campustown prompted an Illini-Alert notification. 

University of Illinois Police officers were dispatched to Taco Bell, 512 E Green St., Champaign, around 1:05 a.m. Tuesday, April 21, for reports of an armed robbery. 

Officers arrived on scene within one minute and learned that a man had allegedly brandished a weapon while attempting to steal food from the restaurant before fleeing the area. 

Responding officers searched the immediate area but were unable to locate the suspect, prompting a campuswide Illini-Alert emergency notification sent to all students, faculty, and staff.

Following the on-scene investigation, it was determined that the suspect was no longer in the area, and an all-clear notification was issued. 

The investigation is ongoing. University police are patrolling the area, and analysts and investigators are reviewing security camera footage and evidence collected at the scene. Police continue to seek any information or evidence collected by witnesses. 

UIPD has and will continue to focus additional security resources on the Green Street area following the incident. It is not believed that this incident poses an ongoing threat to the campus community’s safety.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the University of Illinois Police Department at 217-333-1216. Witnesses may remain anonymous by calling Champaign County Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477 (373-TIPS), by visiting 373tips.com or by providing information through the P3 Tips mobile app available on iOS and Android. All messages to Crime Stoppers are electronically stripped of identifying information and forwarded to police by an independent third party.