FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) — University of Arkansas police are looking for a white van linked to a scooter theft over the weekend.
Police said a cargo van pulled into the west parking lot at Baum Stadium about 11:13 a.m. Saturday (July 14), took the scooter and drove off. Police believe the van is a 1993-2004 Dodge Ram, possibly a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 cargo van.
A university police spokesman said it’s the latest scooter theft after 5NEWS reported UA ranked among the top 10 universities in the country with the highest number of motor vehicle thefts.
According to numbers from the Office of Post-secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education, UA recorded 30 campus motor vehicle thefts in 2016 — which ranks the ninth most across the nation, behind schools like the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.
The data include both automobiles and scooters, with the latter making up a majority of thefts on the Fayetteville campus.
UAPD Capt. Gary Crain said the increasing number of motorized scooters and their small nature make them prime targets for theft.
“Scooters are not that difficult to put on a truck or just push away or however people are doing it, and we’ve caught them doing it many different ways,” Capt. Crain said.
Crain advises both car and scooter owners to always lock up, and warns against hiding keys in or around the vehicle.
