Investigation reveals Texas A&M pepper spray robbery never happened

Published October 6, 2026 9:56 AM CDT

(Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications)

A robbery reported last week on the Texas A&M University campus never actually occurred, university police announced Monday.

TAMU campus robbery didn't happen, police say

What we know:

The Texas A&M University Police Department said that following an additional investigation, authorities determined that the reported incident on Sept. 28 at the West Campus Garage did not take place.

Police initially issued a crime alert after receiving a report that an individual had been sprayed with pepper spray and robbed of her Corps of Cadets freshmen spurs on Level 1 of the parking garage. The individual described the suspect to police as an 18-year-old white male, approximately 6 feet 5 inches tall and 180 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. The alleged victim received medical treatment and was released from the scene.

Following the follow-up investigation, police confirmed there was no threat to the campus community related to the report.

(Source: Texas A&M University)

Dig deeper:

Dating back to the 1930s, freshmen in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets assembled and wore "fish spurs" the week before the Texas A&M Football team played SMU, as they do now the week before the Arkansas game.

The Source: Information in this article is from the Texas A&M Police Department crime report website.

TexasCrime and Public Safety