Tufts students got hit again, this time literally, by crime.
A group of four or five unarmed males allegedly approached two Tufts students at Powderhouse Circle early Wednesday morning and demanded, but did not get, their wallets.
"There were some punches thrown and the two separate groups fled in opposite directions," TUPD Captain Mark Keith told the Daily.
Keith said that he had no reason to believe that this group of would-be thieves was linked to the two men who robbed junior Jason Safer at gunpoint last Friday.
The victims, whose names are being withheld while the investigation is pending, reported the attempted robbery to TUPD immediately after the incident, but refused medical attention because they had sustained only minor injuries. The suspects appeared to be unarmed.
This past Friday morning, two men with a gun stole Safer's laptop and cell phone.
That evening, three unarmed men were caught trying to steal a laptop and a PlayStation from South Hall.
They were arrested, but the suspects from the first Friday incident are still at large.
The students involved in yesterday's incident said the suspects were wearing dark clothing, baseball caps and hooded sweatshirts. At least one of them appeared to be white and at least three of them black. They all seemed to be about 19 or 20 years old.
Police did not find any suspects in their subsequent search of the area.
Keith said he encourages all students to call for police escorts when walking around campus, especially late at night.
He also said that they should not get in altercations with criminals.
"If [students are] confronted and a demand is made of money or personal items ... they should hand [them] over, get as good of a description as they can of the suspect or suspects and call us or the Somerville police immediately," Keith said.
Any delay in reporting incidents to the police, Keith added, may hamper investigations.
