A group of violent robbers struck six Uptown pedestrians three nights in a row within a six-block area, beating people into concussions with fists, kicks and, in at least one case, a set of brass knuckles, while taking phones and wallets, Minneapolis police said.
Two attacks were so similar that police officers, paramedics and emergency room nurses all told victim Joshua Houser that they suspected he had been jumped by the same guys who sent people to the hospital just 48 hours earlier, Houser said.
"It was a robbery, but it was an assault, too," said Houser, who said he and his friend were punched repeatedly. He suffered a concussion. He said his friend, a woman who offered no resistance to the man who knocked her down, was hit several times even after she gave up her wallet.
The three attacks occurred between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., one attack each night starting in the early hours of Sunday morning, in an area bound by Hennepin and Lyndale Avenues, W. 32nd Street to W. 25th Street.
Victims described the suspects as three or four men between the ages of 20 and 30, wearing black hooded sweatshirts and being either Hispanic or American Indian. One victim said he was struck by an African-American man, but thought the other attackers were Hispanic.
In two incidents, the suspects walked past people on the sidewalk, waiting until they were abreast or behind their targets before attacking.
Fifth Precinct police issued a crime alert Tuesday afternoon warning Uptown residents about the robberies. "This is an unusual trend for the precinct and especially for Uptown," the alert stated.
The first attack reported to police over the weekend was early Sunday, when Jay Ness, 25, and a friend were walking home from a party. They were in the 1200 block of 28th Street W. when four young men wearing black hooded sweatshirts passed them on the sidewalk.
