Police made an arrest in connection with thefts from the caf (Photo: Adam Dietrich)

A foot chase in residence ended in an arrest on Oct. 26, after a man was “caught in the act” stealing a laptop from the residence cafeteria, according to director of the department of university safety Len Boudreault.

Around 1 p.m. students living on the second floor of Dundas House heard the shouts: “Police! Put your hands up!” coming from the parking lot outside. Police were arresting an individual for stealing student property from the cafeteria.

Mohamed Said Mohamed, 18, who is not a Carleton student, has been arrested and charged with two counts of theft under $5,000, Ottawa police said.

There has recently been an increase in thefts on the Carleton campus, and laptops have been a primary source of prey, said Const. Stephane Bujold of Ottawa police Break and Enter Unit. 

The Ottawa police were conducting surveillance, when a man who is known to police entered the cafeteria, Bujold said.

A female employee recognized he was not a student and grabbed the bag he was attempting to steal.

The man “grabbed back the bag and was chased down the stairwell by this employee,” Bujold said.

Police chased the man to the opposite side of Dundas, where he was arrested.

Mohamed was charged in relation to the attempted laptop theft and another previous incident, Bujold said.

The laptop –and other possessions – was recovered and will be returned to the owner.

“Theft has been an ongoing problem for years,” said Ed Kane, assistant vice-president (university services).

However, lately it has been getting worse, and nine expensive items, particularly iPods and laptops, have been stolen so far this year, Kane said. 

“When the number of incidences increases, so does the level of surveillance,” Kane said, adding “surveillance has been stepped up over the past week or so.”

The increase in thefts from the cafeteria has been attributed to an entire group of individuals who are “not part of the community,” Kane said.

Last year as part of an initiative to increase security, cubby boxes were installed in the cafeteria as a preventative measure.  But Kane said “cubby boxes are only useful when people use some form of lock.”

To reduce thieving temptations in the cafeteria, it is highly recommended that students lock up their possessions.