Three female Northwestern University students were victims of an armed robbery early Sunday as the students were walking northbound in the 2000 block of Pratt Court near the Evanston campus.

The students were walking in the middle of the street at about 1:10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, when they saw two suspects approaching them, one of the suspects walking on the west sidewalk and the other suspect walking on the east side. The suspects ordered the students to stop. One man displayed a silver handgun and demanded their valuables. The suspect with the handgun then snatched the purse of one of the victims and also took her cell phone. The suspects then took the purses of the other two victims.

The offenders then fled westbound on Foster Street towards Ridge Avenue. The three students were not injured.

The victims described the suspect with the handgun as a heavy set, African American man in his late 20s, between 5-feet 3-inches and 5-feet 6-inches tall, and wearing all black clothing. A detailed description of the second offender could not be obtained.

University Police reminds all community members to report suspicious activities/persons immediately to the University Police or Evanston Police by dialing 911 or by utilizing a Blue Light Emergency Telephone.

The Evanston Police Department is responsible for conducting the investigation of this incident. If you have any information that might assist them, please contact them at 847-866-5000.

This was the second armed robbery in as many days near the Evanston campus. In a separate incident, a 16-year-old youth not affiliated with Northwestern University was the victim of an armed robbery early Saturday in the 1900 block of Orrington Avenue. It is not clear if the suspects in the two robberies are the same.

A 16-year-old youth not affiliated with Northwestern University was the victim of an armed robbery early Saturday near the Evanston campus.At about 12:45 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, the victim was walking northbound on the sidewalk in the 1900 block of Orrington Avenue when he observed two men walking eastbound on Foster Street.   

While one of the suspects stood on the corner of Foster and Orrington, the second man ran up to the victim, displayed a handgun and demanded his valuables.  The victim turned over his wallet and cell phone.  One of the suspects then removed the battery from the cell phone and returned the phone to the victim without the battery, apparently to prevent him from calling police. 

The two suspects then fled westbound on Foster Street.  The victim then ran to his residence and a parent notified police.  A search of the surrounding area and el stations was performed by officers from the Evanston Police Department and Northwestern University Police, but was not successful in locating the offenders. The victim described the first suspect as an African-American man in his early 30’s, 5-feet 10 inches tall, and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a red scarf.  The victim was unable to provide a detailed description of the second suspect. 

University Police reminds all community members to report suspicious activities/persons immediately to the University Police or Evanston Police by dialing 911 or by utilizing a Blue Light Emergency Telephone.

A Northwestern University student was the victim of an attempted robbery by three suspects late Sunday in the 1800 block of Hinman Avenue. The man was not injured and nothing was stolen, according to University Police.

The incident took place at about 10:40 p.m. Sunday, when the Northwestern student was walking eastbound in the 500 block of Clark Street and he observed a large group of men walking toward him on the south side of the street.As he passed the group, one person in the group yelled "Yo" at the student. The student did not respond and continued walking, turning northbound on the east side of Hinman Avenue. As he approached the middle of the block, three men confronted him and demanded his money, saying: "Empty your pockets or we'll shoot you." The victim told the three subjects that they were right in front of the UP station, and he didn't think it was a good idea.

The three suspects fled southbound on Hinman Avenue and then westbound on Clark Street. The victim could not provide detailed descriptions of the offenders involved. The student contacted police approximately ten minutes later. No weapon was displayed by the men. Both the Evanston Police Department and the Northwestern University Police Department responded but were unsuccessful in locating the offenders.

University Police reminds all community members to report suspicious activities immediately to the University Police or Evanston Police by dialing 911 or by utilizing a Blue Light Emergency Telephone. This incident is being investigated by the Evanston Police Department. Contact the Evanston Police at 847-866-5000 if you have any information that might assist in this investigation.

A woman not affiliated with Northwestern University was the victim of a robbery in the Engelhart Hall parking lot located at 1915 Maple Street on Tuesday, May 15, at approximately 2:20 a.m. The offender took her cellphone but the victim was not injured.

The victim had just exited a CTA bus that stopped at the Foster Street el stop. As she crossed from the north side of Foster Street and entered the parking lot, a man, who the victim believed was also on the bus with her, asked her to stop and began to ask her about the el schedule.

The man then grabbed her arms and pulled them back behind her back. The man implied he had a gun in his possession, but no weapon was ever displayed. The man then grabbed the smart phone of the victim and walked away heading east on Foster on the south side of the street.

The victim described the offender as a black man between 20 and 25 years old, 5-feet 7-inches tall, about 200-220 pounds, with a dark complexion, short hair and wearing a gray, zip-up, hooded, sweat shirt and blue jeans.

The incident is under investigation by the Evanston Police Department. Contact the Evanston Police Department at 847-866-5000 if you have any information that might assist in this investigation.

The University Police Department reminds all community members to report suspicious activities/persons immediately to University Police or Evanston Police by dialing 911 or by using a blue light emergency telephone.

A woman who is not affiliated with Northwestern University reported that she was sexually assaulted in an alley in the 700 block of Central Street in Evanston on March 12, 2012. Between approximately 10 p.m. and midnight, the woman was walking a dog when she was confronted by a man who displayed a gun and sexually assaulted her.

The victim was later taken to a hospital where she was treated and released.

The offender was described as a white male, approximately 30-50 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, wearing a dark knit cap, dark coat and dark pants.

The incident is under investigation by the Evanston Police Department. Contact the Evanston Police Department at 847-866-5000 if you have any information that might assist in this investigation.

The University Police Department reminds all community members to report suspicious activities/persons immediately to University Police or Evanston Police by dialing 911 or by using a blue light emergency telephone.

3/22/2012 Sexual Assault Incident Update: According to the Evanston Police Department, inconsistencies in the victim's report suggest that no crime was committed as was alleged. The investigation by the Evanston Police Department is continuing, but there are no indications of a potential danger to the Northwestern community at this time. Northwestern University offers services to survivors of sexual violence. For more information, contact the Center for Awareness, Response and Education (CARE) Office.