UM student lives to tell about attack

COCONUT GROVE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A University of Miami law student is speaking out after being robbed at gunpoint.

"He put a double barreled, long hunting-style gun to my chest," said the victim. The gun jabbed into her chest came with a demand. "He just kept repeating, 'Give me everything you have, give me everything you have," said the victim.

The UM law student, who is too scared too reveal her identity, said she was alone and had just gotten out of a cab on Virginia Street and Coconut Avenue and was headed home. It was 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8. "I had walked two blocks and had another couple to go before I was getting to where I needed to be," said the victim.

That is when the gunman came around the corner and snatched the 22-year-old's purse, along with her keys and cell phone. "It was all a blur," said the victim. "It probably happened in 30 seconds."

The white getaway van with a driver inside idled nearby. "The guy's getaway car was a van," she said. "You don't know someone is not going to want to take you with them."

The thug got in the van, and it sped off leaving the young woman helpless on the street.

She ran to John Johnson's home and knocked on his door. "She like fell into my arms," said John Johnson. "She was like, 'Please help me.' She was like, 'I was just held up.'"

Police scoured the area but turned up empty-handed. The young woman said the experience has taught her to always be with a buddy. "Don't travel alone," she said. "Don't take a cab home, period."

And, she learned, even steps from home, no one is safe. "It only takes one bad person to come and ruin your sense of safety, no matter," she said. "No matter where you are."

The law student said she would like to be a prosecutor one day and put criminals behind bars.

If you have any information on this mugging, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)