Robberies reported off campus

Students victimized near Harvard

Cambridge police were investigating the third robbery this month of college students near Harvard University after a pair of male graduate students were held up at gunpoint in the early morning hours last Sunday, according to an advisory sent to the Harvard community.

The young men were on Cambridge Street when they were approached by a white man in his 30s with a heavy build, slight facial hair - and a handgun, which he displayed to the students as he demanded their wallets. They complied, and later reported the incident to the Harvard University Police Department, which referred it to Cambridge police.

The first incident occurred Sept. 10 on Cambridge Common, when a male Harvard undergraduate was attacked from behind and, after attempting to fight back, was knocked to the ground by four assailants who fled the scene with his iPod, cellphone, and credit card.

Days later, on Sept. 14, a young woman who attends Boston University was pushed to the ground from behind as she was listening to music and walking on Garden Street to the Harvard Square T stop. While she was not seriously injured, her assailant made off with her iPod, digital camera, and wallet.

By late last week, Cambridge police had made one arrest in connection with the incidents.

Michael Kelley, 26, of Lynn, was apprehended Sept. 16 in connection with the Sept. 10 robbery. Police say that as Kelley used the credit card stolen on the Common at several stores in Harvard Square, his image was captured by surveillance cameras, according to Mark Trant of the department's public information office.

Despite the apparent swell in attacks on students in recent weeks, Trant said that the overall number of robberies in the area was about average.

"It just happens to be that the victims were reported to be Harvard students," he said. "That's what's going to happen because it's the most common crime for a university student."

Crime incidents on the Harvard campus itself were down by 8 percent from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15 compared to the same period last year, according to Joe Wrinn, a university spokesman. Harvard police reported 14 robberies on public property near the university in 2006 and again in 2007, compared to three such incidents on campus each year, according to the department's annual reports.

Colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs are required by federal law to disclose information about campus crime and security policies in a timely fashion.

This marks at least the second time in five months that Cambridge police have investigated three attacks on students near Harvard within the same month. In May, three students reported attacks. One young woman was attacked from behind by an assailant who wrapped a wire around her neck, but she kicked herself free, according to published reports.

"Whether it happens on our piece of property or not, we want people to know what is happening in this urban setting," Wrinn said.

The community advisories, sent out after each incident, reminded residents to stay alert and take precautions. Harvard also offers a free university shuttle bus service, and campus police will escort students, faculty, and staff when appropriate.

"As a student, when three things like this happen in a row, it's obviously something that hits close to home," said Matt Sundquist, president of Harvard's Undergraduate Council .

Sundquist, in his senior year studying philosophy and education, said he appreciated how swiftly Harvard administrators moved to make students aware of the attacks.

"A lot of the things that happen to members of the community are not necessarily things happening within the confines of Harvard's campus," he said, "and I think that makes everyone think twice before they'd want to walk anywhere by themselves at night in a large city like this."

Anyone with information about the robberies is urged to contact the Cambridge Police Department's Investigations Section at 617-349-3370 or Harvard police at 617-495-1212.