Five St. Thomas students robbed at gunpoint over the weekend 

The incident occurred early Saturday morning about a block away from the university’s St. Paul campus. 

University of St. Thomas Public Safety/Twitter

Five University of St. Thomas students were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend, according to the school’s Department of Public Safety.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:56 a.m. early Saturday morning on Cretin Avenue between Selby and Dayton, about a block away from the university’s St. Paul campus.

An alert from the school’s Department of Public Safety said five students were walking westbound on Selby Avenue from Finn Street when they noticed a man in a black ski mask following them on foot.

They reached an alleyway between Selby and Dayton avenues when a vehicle pulled up next to them with bright lights. Three suspects then exited the vehicle, one displaying a gun, and forced the students to hand over their belongings. One of the suspects fired a single round into the air.

The five students reported the incident to the St. Paul Police Department from a nearby house.

The Department of Public Safety said video footage of the incident indicates that a second vehicle with its lights off appeared to be involved. The two vehicles were a Ford truck and a “small dark colored sport utility vehicle.”

The department said no further information on the suspects is available at this time.

According to a report from St. Paul police, robberies were up 32% in 2020 compared to 2019.

 

Anthony Gockowski

Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.