Is Amarillo Seeing An Increase In Muggings?

I saw this story of a personal robbery or "mugging", and just the nature of how it was performed made me ask the question.  Are we seeing an increase in muggings in Amarillo?  Is crime on the increase, or am I just watching the news more and finally hearing about it all?

A 19 year old man was walking down the 4000 block of S. Jackson, probably a typical walk for him.

During his walk, a dark colored SUV pulled up next to him.  The driver got out, approached the man, and asked to borrow a cigarette.  Then, the suspect immediately pulled out a gun, pointed it at the victim, and demanded that he hand over the iPad that he was carrying.

Probably not the smartest idea to be walking down the street just carrying an iPad, but when you live in Amarillo, you don't expect to get mugged.  This isn't New York City, where people are mugged all the time.  Also, the area the victim was walking in isn't exactly the "ghetto".

Anyways, he handed his iPad over, and the thief made his getaway.

Maybe crime isn't on the increase in Amarillo, maybe the media, including myself, are making it seem like it is.  I will end with this, I've lived in Amarillo most of my life, and never have I heard of so much crime happening.  To me, there definitely seems to be an increase...

The Amarillo Police provided this description of the suspect, so please take a look at it, and help locate the suspect and help the victim get his iPad back.

"The suspect is described as a B/M early 20’s, with tattoos on his left forearm. The SUV is described as a late 1990’s or early 2000’s black SUV possibly a Jeep Cherokee."

If you can and want to help, call 806-378-3038 to reach APD.  You can submit anonymous tips through Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 806-374-4400, or online below.