Two students were the victims of separate armed robbery attempts Sept. 26 at about 1 a.m. near East Campus, according to Duke University Police Department officials. Officers have not yet determined whether the two incidents, which occurred within 15 minutes of each other, were related.
Both students were walking home alone from George's Gourmet Garage when they were allegedly approached by two black men, who then demanded their wallets.
The first incident occurred near the 1800 block of Perry Street. One suspect approached the victim and requested that the victim accompany him to campus, claiming that the second suspect was following him.
The victim walked with the first suspect for about 10 paces, at which point the second suspect allegedly pulled out of his waistband a black, semi-automatic handgun and demanded that the victim empty his pockets.
The victim complied with the request and then ran to East Campus, where he picked up an emergency telephone to contact Campus Police. Two officers from the Durham Police Department responded to the call.
The victim's belongings, which the victim had emptied onto the ground, were found where he had been robbed and returned to him shortly after the incident.
Both of the suspects are approximately 16 years old. The victim described one suspect as having a medium build, light complexion and short hair. No description was available for the second suspect.
The second robbery occurred at 1:16 a.m. on Markham Avenue, about one block from the first.
The victim said he was returning to his dormitory on East Campus when he noticed the two suspects in front of him. After walking past them, he reported, one of the suspects yelled something.
The victim then turned around and said he saw one suspect holding a semi-automatic handgun-a 9-millimeter glock pistol-and heard him cock the weapon. After the victim emptied his pockets, the armed individual told him to turn and run. The victim complied and then called the police.
The Durham Police Department is handling the investigations of both robbery cases.
Captain Charles Nordan said Campus Police will be working with Durham Police to coordinate some type of preventative action.
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