Within mere minutes of one another, three individuals were separately robbed and assaulted in the downtown area early Saturday morning, despite the city’s recent efforts to improve safety around campus.
The first robbery occurred at 3:10 a.m. on the 600 block of University Avenue and involved an attempted theft of the victim’s bicycle, according to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain. The suspect also hit the victim numerous times in the face.
The next two incidents took place near the 200 block of Langdon Street. At 3:26 a.m., three suspects left a 20-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student with a bloody face after they attacked and robbed him of his wallet. In the second incident at 3:34 a.m., two suspects pushed another 20-year-old student up against a parked car by the throat and robbed him.
DeSpain said although police cannot say with absolute certainty, the three crimes, particularly the two on Langdon Street, are “likely connected” because of their close proximity in time and location.
Additionally, the suspects of the two Langdon Street crimes appeared to be singling out people who were by themselves, DeSpain said.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said Langdon Steeet is a target for criminals especially late on weekend nights.
“Students, particularly when they are intoxicated, are put in an ‘at risk’ position and essentially criminals are very well aware of that,” Resnick said.
Resnick also said there is a definite pattern of crime at the start of the school year.
In an effort to avoid more incidents like these, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4 said the city increased lighting and police presence on University Avenue and North Frances Street to help improve safety. He said pedestrian lighting is a major crime deterrent.
“We’ve had one too many incidents down there, so it was long overdue,” Verveer said.
The city has implemented more lights and replaced old lights with brighter ones, costing around $100,000, according to Verveer.
The city also implemented the Downtown Safety Initiative, which is a program the city funded to increase police presence downtown to deter crime. According to Verveer, the program has been effective in curbing crime in the downtown area.
This effectiveness was exemplified during an incident early Sunday morning where the arresting officer was part of the initiative, according to Verveer.
