The same day 17-year-old Chelsea King disappeared, two non-Biola women were robbed at knifepoint in Creek Park, a conjunction that has heightened concerns about the safety of the park.
Located on the east side of La Mirada Boulevard and connected to campus by a tunnel, the park is popular with Biola students, especially runners. According to the crime alert put out by Campus Safety, the two La Mirada women complied with the thief and were not harmed.
King was not so lucky. The San Diego girl was reported missing after she failed to return from a run, according to a March 5 article in the Los Angeles Times. A body found at Lake Hodges, near where King was running, is suspected to be that of the young girl, the article said. Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III, 30, is charged with King’s murder.
The safety of Creek Park is being considered in light of the King family’s tragedy. The park’s close proximity makes it an easy getaway from campus, but it may not be the safest option. John Ojeisekhoba, chief of Campus Safety, said the isolated nature of Creek Park is cause for extra precautions.
“The way the park is set up…if anything were to happen there to any of our students, it would be very difficult for someone in the public to be alerted to the situation,” he said.
Since 2006, three Biola students have been assaulted in Creek Park in three separate incidents, according to Campus Safety records. Two of those assaults have been on individuals. In the other case, two students were in the park together, but only one was attacked.
Ojeisekhoba admitted that these sorts of assaults are rare, but still noteworthy. He advised going to the park with others because attacks on groups are less common.
But junior Tara Robison, who used to go to the park occasionally, now considers going to the park at all to be a safety compromise.
“Then I thought it was a safe place, so I went alone and that was a bad idea,” Robison said.
After two unnerving run-ins at Creek Park, Robison says that she won’t be going back. In one situation, an employee of the city warned her that police were going to arrest a man who was standing about 20-feet from her. The city worker told her to turn around and return to campus. In the other situation, she and her roommate witnessed what they suspected was a gang initiation in the tunnel leading to the park.
Sophomore Ian Mayta, a Creek Park regular, has never seen anything suspicious while in the park. Mayta usually goes to the park to hang out with friends and enjoy the outdoors. He said he has only ever seen people relaxing or running.
Mayta did suggest using common sense, like not going to the park alone at night. Ojeisekhoba, on the other hand, advised against going into the park in any context during the night.
To help students stay safe in the park, Ojeisekhoba recommended three things. First, runners who listen to music should make sure the level of volume doesn’t obscure outside noise. They should still be able to hear if someone came up behind them, he said.
Second, students should be aware of their surroundings and not proceed into an uncomfortable situation.
“One indication that something is about to go down is if a would-be suspect continues to stare at you when you are isolated,” Ojeisekhoba said. “Coupled with that, they keep looking side to side to see if other people are there. That is not a good situation at all. Get out of there.”
Third, since the park is off-campus, students should call 911 instead of Campus Safety if a situation becomes dangerous. Ojeisekhoba said students should tell the 911 operator their location before telling their situation in case the call gets disconnected before they can complete it.
Mayta, who says he feels very secure in the park, said King’s case does elicit concern. But he also said crime is something that can happen to any person in any location.
“(People) say, ‘Oh, I’m not going to that park because I’ve heard about that incident and things happen there,’” Mayta said. “I feel like it can happen to anyone. Just be aware of your surroundings and be smart about what you do.”
