Three BU students robbed in separate incidents around midnight; one robbed at gunpoint

By Chris Stuck-Girard, Globe Correspondent

Three Boston University students were robbed in separate incidents near the campus late Friday night and early this morning. One of the thefts was at gunpoint, according to university police.

About 12:15 this morning, a female student was robbed at gunpoint by two men in Brookline near Saint Paul and Thatcher streets, three blocks south of Commonwealth Avenue.

Boston University Police said two men approached the student, as she was walking with two men who do not attend BU, and stole a tote bag containing an iPhone and keys, according to a statement posted to Boston University’s website this morning.

Police described the two suspects as men wearing black jackets. The first man, who displayed a black handgun, was about 6 feet 2 inches tall with a large nose and was wearing a white hoodie, the statement said. The second suspect near 6 feet tall, with a thick build, and had his face blocked with a scarf.

Nearly an hour earlier, a second student was robbed of his phone and assaulted in an alley adjacent to Shaw’s supermarket, near Packard’s Corner, the statement said. He was allegedly punched after being approached by two men at about 11:30 pm. One man was described as being between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall and wearing a dark North Face jacket. The second suspect was described as muscular. The student refused medical treatment.

The third robbery happened around 1:25 a.m., when a man and woman approached a student sitting on the stairs of 275 Babcock St., a dormitory in the heart of the BU campus. The man allegedly pushed the student to the ground, opened her purse, and took a cellphone and some money, according to the statement. The pair fled in a older model white sedan.

“This is a very concerning series of events, and such an unusual circumstance,” said Colin Riley, Boston University spokesman.

In the statement, the university police advised students to follow “basic safety precautions,” including avoiding poorly lit areas late at night, getting a ride instead of walking, and staying aware of surroundings by not using headphones or talking on the phone.

Brookline, Boston, and university police are investigating the incidents. According to the statement, university and Brookline police will add patrols to the area of the robberies.

Anyone with information is asked to call university police at 617-353-2121.

In September and October, a string of four robberies in Brookline, near the BU campus, worried the university community and prompted calls for student vigilance. In December, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted three Boston teens in connection with the robberies.