A robbery that occurred on Monday night at 11:18 p.m. in the South Lake Village parking lot resulted in the arrest of Sergey Kushner, 21, of Little Robin Road in Amherst, according to UB Police Chief Gerald Schoenle. Two hours after the incident, Kushner was stopped by Buffalo Police Department officers and arrested by UB Police.
A 20 year old female UB student, whose name Schoenle declined to release, was approached by Kushner from behind and pushed. Her handbag, containing her wallet and cell phone, was grabbed and Kushner drove away. The victim was accompanied by her roommate, who immediately contacted UB Police on her cell phone, providing them with Kushner's vehicle type and license plate number.
"It's always better to be with two or more other people, and it's important to always be cognizant of your surroundings," Schoenle said. "The good news is no one got hurt...and (the victim and her roommate) ended up being good witnesses."
According to Schoenle, the force involved in the incident resulted in a third degree robbery charge. In addition, Kushner was charged with fourth degree grand larceny because he stole the student's property while it was in her physical possession. These charges are similar and classified as felonies, but one will likely be dropped once the case goes to court, according to Schoenle.
When Buffalo police stopped Kushner, they found the victim's cell phone in his vehicle, which added a charge of criminal possession of stolen property.
Kushner also has another pending charge in the Town of Amherst, according to Schoenle. Due to this charge, Amherst Police were familiar with Kushner and provided UB Police with information that aided in the arrest.
Although the suspect was taken into custody, the victim's possessions could not be returned.
Based on statements Kushner made following the arrest, police suspect that he is a heroin user and may have exchanged the student's property for drugs, according to Schoenle.
Kushner is barred from UB campuses, and will be arrested immediately if an officer sees him on the property.
This case was the second robbery to occur on campus in two years, and UB Police made arrests each time, according to Schoenle.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
