A pair of Northwestern students were attacked and robbed at Burger King on Valentine’s Day.
The students, both 20-year-old females, were in the women’s bathroom of the restaurant, 1740 Orrington Ave., at about 9:05 p.m. Thursday when two women assaulted them, police said.
The women demanded the purses of both students and sprayed both in the face with pepper spray, said Cmdr. James Elliot of the Evanston Police Department. One of the students had their purse taken, while the other was punched in the face but retained her purse.
Neither student required medical attention after the assault.
Reports surfaced Friday that the incident involved sexual assault, but the victims did not report that to police, said Elliot, who said he had been called three times Friday about the possibility of sexual assault.
“I was surprised when I heard that today, ” he said. “I was like, ‘Where are you getting this from?'”
After the incident the attackers, both described as 18 to 19 years old with heavy builds wearing dark clothing, fled the restaurant, police said. The students reported the incident to the manager, who called police.
The students are working with police to identify the offenders, Elliot said. While no arrests have been made, police do have a “person of interest in the case.”
The stolen black leather purse contained identification, a $200 digital camera, a cell phone worth $100 and $20 cash, police said. The students withdrew the cash from an ATM in the restaurant immediately before entering the bathroom, the victims reported.
The assault prompted a “Security Alert” on the Northwestern website. The alert, posted at 9:32 a.m. Friday, asked students “to be alert when traveling on or off campus, especially at night” and to report suspicious activity to University Police.
