Suspect Charged in IUPUI robberies

An Indianapolis man has been charged with two counts of robbery, one count of felony intimidation and one count of theft in connection with the robberies of two IUPUI students at gunpoint that occurred minutes apart on April 7.

The charges were filed as the result of intensive detective work by IUPUI Police Department Detective Russell Peper over a three-week span. Peper pursued the suspect using video camera surveillance footage, a television station broadcast, and photographs.

The suspect, Brandon Highbaugh, was already being held in the Marion County Jail on unrelated charges when the charges stemming from the robberies at IUPUI were filed against him.

According to IUPUI Police, the first robbery occurred at approximately 11:30p.m. when a man armed with a short barrel shotgun approached a student north of the Medical Research & Library building at 975 W. Walnut, and robbed him of his cell phone and money. The second robbery occurred minutes later near the Medical Science building at 635 Barnhill when a man, armed with a short barrel shotgun, demanded the wallet, cell phone and PIN number to the bank card of a student/employee. Neither victim was physically injured.

Peper tracked the suspect using Bank ATM data which showed where the one victim’s bank card was used. The detective obtained surveillance footage from an ATM camera, which was shown on a television news Crime Stoppers segment. The Crime Stoppers segment generated a tip about the identity of the suspect the next day. When Peper learned the suspect had a criminal record, he was able to obtain a gallery photo. That photo was used in a photo line-up, with one of the victims identifying Highbaugh as the robber.

The IUPUI Police Department investigation also received cooperation from the Metro police and Wayne township schools.

IUPUI Police Department Chief Paul E. Norris Jr. said he was pleased that a suspect had been identified and charged and that no one had been injured in the robberies. He also praised Crime Stoppers for being such an invaluable aid in identifying and apprehending suspects.

Robberies are not common at IUPUI, Norris said, noting the most common reported crimes at IUPUI are property crimes where people take unattended property or property from unlocked areas, but that crimes like this can happen.