A student who approached an armored service truck outside South Dining Hall Monday morning - frightening one of the truck's occupants into drawing a weapon - did not do so with criminal intent, according to Notre Dame Security/Police. Shortly before 9 a.m., the student began pulling on the door of the United Armored Car Service vehicle without responding to the questions of the employee inside, said Chuck Hurley, assistant director of NDSP. Thinking the student was attempting a robbery, the armored service employee drew a gun and ordered him to the ground, Hurley said. Another employee, who was also armed, was outside the vehicle at the time and assisted his co-worker in subduing the student, Hurley said. When an NDSP officer arrived on the scene moments later, the student appeared "very disoriented" and was making statements that "didn't make much sense," Hurley said. "[The student] was probably under some emotional stress ... nothing ever implied that it was a robbery, but the armored service [employees] didn't know that," Hurley said. One of the employees used his cell phone to call 911, alerting Indiana State Police, who called NDSP, Hurley said. A supervisor from United Armored Car Service also came to the scene, but was told the situation was under control and the student had no intent to rob the vehicle, Hurley said. No one was injured in the incident, but the student was taken to University Health Services for counseling, Hurley said. He added this was not the first stress-related incident NDSP has dealt with during this time of year."It's something that occasionally we see before the holidays, before finals - students put a lot of pressure on themselves to excel," he said. "They lose perspective on certain things."Wendy Settle, a staff psychologist at the University Counseling Center, said students can try to maintain perspective during stressful weeks by prioritizing their responsibilities, caring for their bodies and understanding their limits."Do what you can do, and learn to say no," she said.
