Two students were knocked to the ground Friday night on College Avenue by four masked men who leapt from a blue mini van and demanded property just before 10 p.m., according to police reports.
The suspects, described as being about 21 years old, wore bandannas covering their faces and at least one displayed a gun while demanding property and hitting the victims.
One of the victims was kicked after being knocked down, and both sustained minimal injuries, said Cpl. Debbi Carlson, a public information officer for Prince George’s County Police.
The two victims, both male, were near the College Park Metro Station, where city and state officials and Student Government President Aaron Kraus, pressed Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) to fund better lighting to improve safety for students and residents.
In mid-December, Ehrlich pledged $20 million for development in Prince George’s County, a portion of which would go toward better lighting and more police patrolling near the Metro station. The measures have yet to be implemented.
University Police were first called to the scene, but passed the case to Prince George’s County Police. An investigation is pending, Carlson said.
The robbery is similar to others in College Park this month. In mid-January two females were robbed and knocked to the ground by three men in the Courtyard Apartments parking lot, and on Jan. 4, a Papa John’s delivery man was forced to the floor of the restaurant at gunpoint by a masked robber who fled with about $320 in cash.
Robberies in College Park occur at sporadic times, making predictability that much harder, said University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell.
“The robberies over the past two years have not followed the traditional late-night, secluded area [pattern],” she said.
