This post was last updated at 7:46 p.m.
An armed man involved in a robbery ran through the Butler University campus to evade police late Sunday morning. While that man is still at-large, another suspect in the robbery was captured by police with help from a Butler parent.
A third suspect was initially reported by some outlets, but Butler chief of staff Ben Hunter said he knew of only two men involved in the robbery and subsequent chase.
The still at-large suspect was last seen making his way toward the canal just off campus some time before 1 p.m. Police have described that man as a 6-foot, 200 pound white male with short, brown hair in a burgundy-colored shirt and blue jeans.
Senior Abby Robinson said she saw the man in the burgundy-colored shirt and blue jeans outside of the Holcomb Building sometime after 11 a.m. She called Butler University Police Department, which sent out the first alert to students, faculty and staff at 11:52 a.m. The university went into a lockdown, which ended around 1:50 this afternoon.
The robbery took place at the CVS at 119 W. 56th Street just around 11:30 a.m.
Vicky Lobb, CVS assistant manager, said a man entered the store and demanded drugs from the pharamacy via a note. She said she was unsure if the man was armed, as he never removed his hands from his pockets after producing the note. Lobb said the man was wearing blue jeans and black shoes.
Lobb said she saw a person in one of the front seats of a black Ford Mustang stationed outside the store, but was unsure if anyone else was in the back of the vehicle.
A high-speed chase involving the suspects and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers followed. Tim Tevyaw, who was at Butler for Parents’ Weekend, said he witnessed part of the chase.
Photo by Melissa Iannuzzi
Tevyaw said the men eventually abandoned their vehicle and began to run through the Atherton Union mall.
One suspect attempted to hide behind a bush outside Irwin Library, but bystanders pointed him out to on-foot IMPD and BUPD officers.
Butler parent Nick Frisone then gave chase to the man and managed to knock him to the ground. Police forces then converged, used a stun gun on the suspect and took him into custody.
Audio from a Collegian interview with Frisone can be heard here: [Nick Frisone Interview.]
Kevin Odenwald, president of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, said he saw part of the foot chase from the third floor of Lilly Hall.
Odenwald said he saw a man running before stopping briefly to remove a dark-colored jacket, revealing a red-colored shirt. He then continued to flee authorities.
IMPD and BUPD officers searched every building on campus and did not find the man. K-9 units were also on the scene.
Police eventually called off the search, although the man is still at-large.
The main doors of several campus buildings are now open once again, but some building doors can only be opened by scanning a Butler ID at this time.
BUPD officers are still on patrol throughout campus. Additionally, Greek open houses were cancelled for the evening.
The Butler Collegian will continue to update the story as more information become available. For more information, continue to visit the Collegian website and @butlercollegian on Twitter.
Additional reporting by Jill McCarter, Taylor Meador, Marissa Johnson, Melissa Iannuzzi and Lauren Stark.
