PUBLIC SAFETY
Two OCC students got a rude surprise when three robbers burst into their apartment early Monday to steal computers, an iPod, clothes and cash.
The students, who live in the Camden complex in the 2800 block of Pinecreek Drive, said the robbers knocked on their door before busting in about midnight.
The crooks tied them and rifled through the place on the prowl for valuables.
The victims could not provide a detailed description of their attackers because they masked themselves with bandannas, dark clothes and hooded sweaters.
One of the robbers punched the student who answered the door in the mouth with the handle of his gun. The pair was then threatened with knives and the gun before being bound with jumper cables, the students said.
Their attackers would have made off with more if the college students’ friends had not shown up to visit, the victims said.
After hearing the knock on the door, the robbers bolted to the back patio of the third-floor apartment, threw the bags of stolen goods over the railing and climbed down some nearby trees, the students said.
Costa Mesa Police and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District pooled their efforts and resources for the first “Keep Your Teen Safe” program in the city Tuesday night on the campus of Costa Mesa High School.
Gang Unit officers fielded numerous questions from parents worried about their kids and gangs. The officers offered tips to parents to identify if their kids are getting sucked into gangs.
The officers also reported that gang crimes have gone down since last year. They attributed that to officers specially detailed to school campuses. Their job is to mentor the kids and help them before they get hooked into a gang lifestyle.
EDUCATION
Hillel Foundation of Orange County acknowledged that the organization has suspended its investigation of anti-Semitism complaints at UC Irvine.
But the chairman of the task force Hillel assembled to lead the investigation said the review will continue without Hillel’s support.
The investigation began after numerous complaints about controversial speakers and protests.
UC Irvine officials, meanwhile, also acknowledged that they will stop supporting the practice of letting student organizations prohibit recordings of their gatherings on campus.
