Former Harvard Student Arrested After Attempted Robbery

Editor's Note: The June 6 news article "Former Harvard Student Arrested After Attempted Robbery" sourced information and speculation about Blackwelder-Baggett's background at Harvard College to an anonymous source referred to as "a former close friend." The statements stood in opposition to The Crimson's established policies on anonymous sourcing and therefore have been removed.

UPDATED 11:20 p.m.

Forrest N. Blackwelder-Baggett, a former Harvard student in the class of 2011, was arrested Monday, May 3 for attempting to rob a restaurant near his hometown in Texas.

Former Mather resident Blackwelder-Baggett allegedly entered Delta's Restaurant soon before it closed Sunday night, demanding cash as he pointed a gun at the owner's chest, according to Austin's KEYE TV.

When the young intruder noticed that an employee of the family-owned restaurant had started to call the police, Blackwelder-Baggett ordered her to put the cell phone down.

Sean Gharibi, the owner of Delta's, seized upon the moment of distraction to grab Blackwelder-Baggett by the throat: "He was scared and shaking and begging me to let him go," Gharibi told KEYE TV.

Gharibi then threw the suspect out, KEYE TV reported. As Blackwelder-Baggett backed up his car to drive away from the restaurant, the female employee noted the license plate number and reported the information to the Austin Police, who then traced the registration number to the home of Blackwelder-Baggett's mother in Cedar Park, Texas.

Blackwelder-Baggett, who has been charged with first degree felony of aggravated battery, is currently being held at the Travis County Correctional Complex in Del Valle, Texas. His bond is set at $50,000.

The owners of Delta's Restaurant declined to comment, and the Austin Police Department could not be reached for comment.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesman Jeff Neal was not available to return a request for comment on Saturday.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: June 7, 2010

An earlier version of the June 6 news article "Former Harvard Student Arrested After Attempted Robbery" stated that Forrest N. Blackwelder-Baggett was arrested "on Monday." In fact, he was arrested on Monday, May 3.