GAINESVILLE - The mother of the victim of an attempted armed robbery at Santa Fe College says more could have been done to prevent it from happening.

 

Shortly before noon on Wednesday morning, a 25-year-old senior at Santa Fe had just parked her car in the same spot she does every day. But before she could fully exit her vehicle, she was fighting back against an attacker armed with a knife.

 

After kicking the man, the victim was able to get away, but not unscathed. She had to be taken to Shands Hospital, where she received several stitches and staples for a large gash on her arm. But as the victim recovers from her injuries, her mother wonders how such a violent attack could have happened in the middle of the day on a college campus. 

 

"I made it clear, I want more cameras," said Ginnie Ritchie, the mother of the victim in Wednesday's attack. "When they told me that only half the school had cameras, I was shocked. I was really surprised, with all the stuff that's happened at Santa Fe, they only have surveillance on one half of the school," Ritchie said.

 

But the chief of Santa Fe's police department, Ed Book, says crimes like this simply can't be avoided by placing more cameras around campus. "Cameras help us solve crime, but they often don't prevent crime. That's why its so important to have a well trained police force," said Book.

 

Chief Book points out the fact that only four community colleges in Florida have their own dedicated police force, Santa Fe being one among them.

 

The attacker is described only as a six foot tall black man in his late teens or early 20's, wearing baggy pants, a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, and sunglasses. As of Wednesday night, Chief Book says his department has been reviewing the footage on all their cameras, which has generated a few leads.