Two suspects forcefully robbed three Madison residents and stole various electronic devices on the south side of campus Monday, according to a police report.
The robberies occurred between approximately 9:40 p.m. and 11:23 p.m. Madison Police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the suspects targeted the victims because they were walking alone.
The first victim, a 20-year-old female, told police the two men exited a black vehicle and demanded her cell phone while she was walking on the 400 block of West Dayton Street, according to DeSpain.
The suspects later robbed a 20-year-old UW student and another 20-year-old male, one on the 1300 block of Milton Street and the other on the 400 block of South Randall Street.
The victims provided similar descriptions of the suspects and the attacks, which DeSpain said could connect the incidents.
“If we look at the time and proximity of when these robberies took place, it’s a strong likelihood that the same people are responsible for all three cases,” DeSpain said.
Unlike the female victim, the male victims reported being approached from behind and put into a “choke hold,” according to DeSpain.
He said the other victims could be students as well because they were walking near “what’s traditionally off-campus housing.” No weapon was reported and none of the victims were injured.
“In all three cases, these victims did the right thing by giving up their property and not putting themselves in a situation where they might be injured,” DeSpain said.
UPDATE: Three suspects robbed a 20-year-old female Tuesday night, which police described as a situation resembling three robberies that occurred Monday night, according to Madison Police Department Sgt. Rahim Rahaman.
She said a dark four-door car drove slowly past her on the 10 block of North Brooks Street at approximately 10:43 p.m. when two men exited the vehicle, reached into her pockets and threw her to the ground before stealing her cell phone, according to a police report.
She was not injured and did not report a weapon involved, according to the police report.
Rahamin said they believe Tuesday night’s robbery is connected to the Monday night robberies and detectives are still working to identify the perpetrators.
