A Northwestern student was pistol-whipped early Sunday morning after refusing to turn his wallet over to two men robbing him at gunpoint.
According to a University Police report, the student was walking alone when he was attacked on the corner of Orrington Avenue and Simpson Street. Around 12:15 a.m., the student was walking northbound on Orrington when two men approached him from behind. While one man took the student into a bear hug, the other displayed a handgun and ordered the student to hand over his wallet. When the student replied that he did not have a wallet, the man holding the gun hit him on the head.
Both men then jumped into a car and fled the area. The student sustained a head injury but refused medical treatment.
Police said they were still searching for the two would-be thieves on Sunday night.
McCormick senior Harsha Patel, who lives near the intersection of Sherman Avenue and Noyes Street, said although similar incidents have happened in Evanston, he was surprised this one involved a two-man effort and gun. In addition, he said those streets cannot be easily avoided.
“It’s closer east than most of the stuff we hear about,” Patel said. “This is so close to campus.”
Second-year graduate student Bethany Ojalehto, who lives a block away from the crime scene, said she doesn’t view the area as dangerous.
“I’ve lived in refugee camps and Kenya, so I think this is very safe,” she said. “These things occasionally happen in cities.”
Ojalehto said she would not alter her daily routine because of the incident, adding she doesn’t “persistently get very worried.”
Other Evanston residents said they would aim to avoid traveling the streets at late hours.
Gus Harris, who passes by the area nightly on a three-mile walk with her husband, said she would like to return home “before dark.”
“It wouldn’t happen in the daytime,” Harris said. “But we’ll keep walking. It’s a really safe area.”
ASG off-campus senator and Daily columnist Steven Monacelli said he would like to implement more safety features in the area to prevent further incidents like Sunday’s.
“There are some particularly dark areas off campus in that vicinity,” Monacelli said. “I hope to work with the city of Evanston to improve light conditions and increase the number of blue light phones. There are a lot on campus but once you get off campus they kind of disappear. It’s just unfortunate when something like this happens.”
The first robber is described as a black male in his 20s and around 6 feet tall. The other thief is described as a black male in his 20s and heavy set.
Anyone with information is asked to contact University Police or the Evanston Police Department.
