RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Even though school is out of session, crime in Richmond hasn’t stopped. On Thursday, May 18 at 8:05 p.m., VCU Police were called to the University Student Commons after hearing reports of a man breaking into the on-campus building.
The suspect, who witnesses describe as a Hispanic man wearing blue jeans and no shirt, entered the first set of automatic doors outside the building. He then smashed the glass of the second set of doors in the entryway facing VCU’s ram horn statue. The building was unoccupied at the time of the crime.
As of 5 p.m. on Friday, VCU Police have now identified and arrested 18-year-old Julio Lopez of Colonial Heights in the break in. He has been charged with one count of felony unlawful entry, felony destruction of property and falsely summonsing first responders.
Alumnus Spencer Porter loves the school. After hearing of Thursday night’s incident, he told 8News that he is disappointed, but not surprised.
“I don’t want to say it’s shocking, because you expect a certain amount of crime in this part of Richmond, but it’s sad,” Porter said. “I mean, especially for college, you would like people to live on campus, to feel safe.”
Casey Yenyo — a soon-to-be VCU Masters student — expects to spend a lot of time there once she’s a student.
She expressed concerns about the building’s safety.
“You want to have somewhere safe and relaxing to study and hang out with your friends,” Yenyo explained. “To have something like that happen, it is a little disheartening. [This crime is] kind of saddening to hear and I guess makes me feel like a little bit unsafe.”
Once inside, the suspect pulled the building’s fire alarm and damaged property. At this time, he is not reported to have stolen anything, which is why some people feel this crime is so bizarre.
“It does sound prankish,” Porter said.
Some suspect alcohol could have been a factor.
“My honest opinion is that maybe like someone was just drunk and messing around or something like that,” Yenyo said. “It’s definitely very strange though.”
VCU Police are leading this investigation. In the meantime, the department has increased police presence in the surrounding area. Any witnesses, or anyone with information, should contact the university’s police department.
