An armed robbery occurred in parking Lot B on Monday, Oct. 17 around 2:10 p.m., according to a Nixle text message issued by the El Camino Police Department.

A tall, thin African-American man, aged 30-40, allegedly robbed a student using a black semi-automatic gun, and carried a welding mask and black and red duffel bag, according to the alert.

The suspect was wearing a white shirt, black jeans and a black sweater around the waist and was last seen heading north across Manhattan Beach Boulevard toward El Camino Village, according to the alert.

This is the fourth armed robbery reported this semester, but the first one to occur on campus. The last robbery occurred on Oct. 4 on Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Lemoli Avenue, and no update has been released from ECPD regarding an arrest.

With Lot B located on Manhattan Beach Boulevard and east of Lemoli Avenue, the incident took place near the location of all three of the recent robberies.

The first two robberies, which took place on Aug. 31, resulted in an arrest by the Gardena Police Department.

There is no information to verify whether or not any of these robberies are related.

Safety concerns continue to be an issue on campus, especially with the Oct. 1 release of ECPD’s annual crime report, which showed an increase in weapons arrests from 2014-2015.

For your safety:

• If you see something, say something. By working together we all contribute to the safety of our college campus.
• In an emergency, contact Campus Police by calling 911 from a landline phone; 310-660-3100 from a cell phone; or use a campus “Code Blue” emergency phone.
• Have keys in hand before walking to your car.
• Always be aware of your surroundings – remember the use of listening devices and cell phones may significantly distract you. Don’t walk alone; use the buddy system.
• Use ECC Courtesy Shuttle operated by ECC Police from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; on-call 24 hours. Use one of the POLICE phones located throughout campus, or call campus police 310-660-3100 for this service.
• Night students and faculty are encouraged to park in the same general area as other faculty or students with night classes in their building; this provides the opportunity for a group of students and faculty to walk together to their cars after dark.
• Immediately report any suspicious activity to campus police.