Police say the overnight holdup happened near the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility Center around 12:30 a.m.
HOUSTON, TX — A woman reported being robbed at gunpoint on the University of Houston campus early Wednesday, when a masked man demanded a Cash App payment before taking her cellphone and wallet and running off on foot near the Student Accessibility Center, according to a campus security alert.
The incident, which occurred about 12:30 a.m. along Cougar Village Drive, is the second armed robbery reported on or near central campus in a week. University police are investigating and said the suspect remained at large as of Wednesday evening. The case follows a separate armed robbery Jan. 7 at the Texas Dow Employees Credit Union branch inside the UH Student Center. The university said it has accelerated ongoing security upgrades and plans to open a new police substation on Jan. 20.
According to the alert sent to students and staff, the victim said she was walking near 4369 Cougar Village Drive when an unknown man approached, displayed a handgun and ordered her to send him money via Cash App. After the transfer, the suspect took her phone and wallet and fled eastbound on foot. The woman was not physically injured, police said in the notice. Officers responded within minutes and canvassed the area while relaying the suspect’s description to nearby units. Investigators did not immediately say whether the victim is affiliated with the university as a student or employee, and they have not released how much money was transferred.
Police described the robber as a Black man with a thin build, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, wearing a gray Nike sweater, light blue skinny jeans, white Nike sneakers and a black ski mask. The weapon was reported as a gray semi-automatic handgun. The encounter unfolded in the shadow of the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility Center, a highly trafficked spot on the north side of campus near student housing. Detectives began pulling video from campus cameras along Cougar Village Drive and nearby walkways. No arrests were announced as of late Wednesday, and authorities did not identify any person of interest.
University officials acknowledged heightened concern after consecutive robbery alerts this month. In a written statement, the university said the recent robberies were “unacceptable” and reiterated that campus safety is a priority. Administrators said UH is in the middle of a $21 million lighting and security project launched last year, has added dozens of safety and security staff, and has upgraded more than 100 cameras to bolster real-time monitoring. The new University of Houston Police Department substation near the Welcome Center is scheduled to open Jan. 20 to increase visibility and cut response times, the statement said.
The Jan. 14 case comes one week after an armed robber targeted the TDECU branch inside Student Center South on Jan. 7, prompting a lockdown of the immediate area and a campuswide alert. In that robbery, a man with a handgun took cash and left in a vehicle, according to prior alerts. That investigation is ongoing. Separately, federal agents last fall asked for help identifying a suspect in an October campus credit union robbery. Police have not said whether any of those cases are connected to Wednesday’s holdup, and investigators did not describe a common suspect beyond the basic use of a handgun.
University police said patrols have been adjusted this week to put more officers around the Cougar Village corridor and other student housing zones during late-night and early-morning hours. Officers spent Wednesday checking lighting along paths near the accessibility center and reviewing entry-camera footage at adjacent residence halls. Detectives also interviewed potential witnesses who were in the area around the time of the crime. As of Wednesday night, police had not recovered the victim’s phone or wallet and did not disclose the route the robber may have taken after heading east from the scene.
Students who live in the complex nearby described seeing squad cars circulate after midnight and again before dawn. “We woke up to an alert and saw lights outside our window,” said freshman biology major Ana Martinez, who lives off Cougar Village Drive. “It was pretty fast — officers were already here when I checked my phone.” A graduate student who walks to labs before sunrise said the incident rattled friends who regularly move between residence halls and the student center. “People are talking about rides and sticking in groups,” said mechanical engineering student David Nguyen. Residence hall staff posted printed copies of the alert inside lobby areas by midday Wednesday.
UH officials said the school has continued to coordinate with Houston police on investigations that touch public streets bordering campus. The university’s facilities team has been replacing bulbs and repositioning fixtures across major pedestrian routes as part of the ongoing security project that began in March 2025. Administrators said they expect additional lighting work around Cougar Village Drive to finish this semester. The university also reiterated that its long-term plan includes technology upgrades intended to shrink blind spots for campus cameras and to centralize monitoring in the police department’s operations center.
As of late Wednesday, the suspect in the overnight robbery had not been found. University police said they would update the campus community if there is a significant development. The next scheduled update from administrators is expected alongside the Jan. 20 opening of the campus police substation, unless investigators announce progress sooner.
Author note: Last updated January 15, 2026.