[UPDATE: Police have issued a community alert about muggings near Stony Brook T.]
Just after 10pm on Thursday, I was walking home from Stony Brook, on School St. in the direction of Franklin Park, just before Egleston. A tall, thin, young, black male walking behind me said “Excuse me, ma’am,” a couple of times before I paid attention. He came up from behind me and flashed a boxy handgun; he might have told me to stop walking, and then told me to give him my money.
He was wearing dark clothing including a short, thick, navy blue coat with a darker colored hood protruding. Dark pants also, I think. No glasses or facial hair. Despite him actually clicking the trigger and pressing the gun against me when I didn’t comply, we were near a busy area and I really didn’t believe he had the intent to use it (if it was even a real gun), so I tried to delay and didn’t give him anything, and as I kept shuffling toward the intersection of Washington Street, another individual came into sight, and he eventually gave up and turned back down School Street. I didn’t see where he went from there. But I called the police immediately after the encounter and will be stopping by tomorrow to look at photographs as they requested. I doubt that they will have found him tonight, as it was more than 10 minutes later before police arrived and I would guess he probably lives nearby; so I think it is likely to happen again, though I hope not. Be careful!
[Editor’s note: Police confirmed that they received a report of an attempted mugging matching all these details.]