University of Minnesota police are warning students, staff and neighbors to be on alert after a rash of sometimes violent robberies and thefts in the Dinkytown and Stadium Village areas of Minneapolis.
An alert sent out earlier in the week to the campus community said that since last Thursday, there have been 10 troubling crimes: four aggravated robberies, two robberies and four thefts from individuals. All of the incidents involved taking cellphones from students, according to police.
Police are asking students and others who move around on or near campus to take precautions such as avoiding cellphone use while walking.
"A distraction like this makes you an easier target," the police crime alert read. "Stay alert to your surroundings."
Police also advised that instead of walking alone, students should catch a ride on a campus shuttle bus. There are several routes running late at night. For more information, visit publicsafety.umn.edu/alerts.
One of the more violent incidents occurred midafternoon Sunday at SE. University and 14th avenues, where a young man took someone's phone and fled in a stolen vehicle. As the suspect drove off, he hit his victim with the car, causing minor injuries.
Late Saturday, a suspect used a handgun in a robbery near SE. 25th Avenue and Delaware Street, where two suspects assaulted their victim before driving off in an SUV.
Campus police offered no information about whether arrests have been made in any of the crimes. They provided suspect descriptions that emphasized what the perpetrators were wearing but offered few specifics about their ethnicity or other physical descriptions.
