Student robbed at gunpoint at 41st St.

Three unidentified men robbed a male student at gunpoint early Wednesday morning on the 4100 block of Spruce Street at around 12:18 a.m., according to the University of Pennsylvania Police Department. "He was walking west on Spruce at 41st Street when three unknown black males walked up to him," Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush said. "They pointed a gun at him and told him to keep walking, and then they grabbed him, threw him against the wall and went into his pockets and took his wallet and his backpack. Before they left, they punched him in the jaw." The complainant was not hospitalized, "though he sustained minor injuries to his face," Rush explained. The items taken were valued at $140. Immediately after the robbery, the student called the UPPD from an emergency phone located nearby, and flagged down an officer who was riding by the area, Rush said. Police were unable to apprehend the suspects at the scene, despite their fast reaction time, which "probably means they got into a car," Rush explained. Approximately six minutes before the robbery, at 12:02 a.m. on Wednesday, the UPPD received a separate call from another male student who saw what Rush believes may have been "the same three black males" on the 300 block of S. 42nd Street. "He felt unsafe and was able to get indoors before they could get to him," Rush said. She added that both students deserve commendation for their quick response times, and emphasized how crucial immediate police contact is in events like this one. Rush stated "there was some police activity [Wednesday] night and we are cautiously optimistic that we might find a break in several of the robberies -- there may be some connection." Although Rush said that there were several arrests made Wednesday night, it remains unclear whether or not the individuals arrested were at all connected with Wednesday's robbery. Rush said that the people who were arrested Wednesday night are not students and are currently going through "questioning and investigation." This robbery comes less than a week after three unidentified men indecently assaulted a female student on Sept. 11 on the 3700 block of Spruce Street outside the Quadrangle, at around 11:50 p.m., according to University Police. In that incident, the three men fled the scene and were seen getting into a 1990s black Buick LeSabre with a Pennsylvania license plate of FCX9736.

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