Assailants Rob Two Students At Knifepoint

Two Harvard undergraduates were robbed at knife-point early Wednesday morning one block away from Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) headquarters.

While walking on the corner of Concord Avenue and Follen Street at 4:13 a.m., the students were approached by two assailants, one of whom "displayed two butterfly-type knives" according to a community advisory issued by HUPD.

The armed assailant, described as a white male, 19 to 20 years old, 6 feet tall with a thin build and medium length blond hair, demanded a mountain bicycle from one of the students.

The students left the bike and went to HUPD headquarters. Nothing else was stolen and no one was hurt in the incident, police said.

The other assailant was described in the HUPD advisory as a 19-to 20-year-old white male with heavy build and medium to dark brown hair.

Cambridge Police were called to the scene from HUPD headquarters. The site of the robbery, although a block away from HUPD headquarters and a frequently used path by students walking from the Radcliffe Quadrangle to Harvard Square, does not lie within HUPD's jurisdiction, sa HUPD spokesperson Peggy McNamara.

One of the two victims is a Quad resident.

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) patrols Cambridge Commons and Garden Street "24 hours a day," said CPD spokesperson Frank T. Pasquarello.

But some students said they are still wary of walking through the Commons.

"I always found it scary to walk at night," said former Cabot House resident Hannah Wunch '97.

She said that improved shuttle services allowed her to avoid midnight strolls through Cambridge Commons.

Grace I. Liu, '00, a Cabot House resi- dent, said that she feels safe walking to the Yard but wishes HUPD had more of a presence in the area.

"Any area that is close to Harvard should be protected," Liu said.

McNamara said the robbery occurred off of the police-designated pathway from the Quad to the Square, which is directly up Garden Street opposite of the Cambridge Common.

Yet, the site of the robbery is only several feet away from and in plain sight of Garden Street.

Monica A. Lamb '98 said the location of the robbery concerns her.

"That's definitely close to where everybody walks," she said. "It feels like a safe place."

McNamara said that even the designated pathway can be dangerous.

"We keep an eye on those pathways. That's part of our patrols, but like anything else there are no guarantees," McNamara said.

Kara M. Yokley, '98, a Pforzheimer resident who said her friend was assaulted at gun point last year in Cambridge Commons, said it's a matter of common sense. "You have to be street-wise," she said. "They were out pretty late."

This incident comes after a string of street robberies reported in areas surrounding Harvard during the month of December

"Any area that is close to Harvard should be protected," Liu said.

McNamara said the robbery occurred off of the police-designated pathway from the Quad to the Square, which is directly up Garden Street opposite of the Cambridge Common.

Yet, the site of the robbery is only several feet away from and in plain sight of Garden Street.

Monica A. Lamb '98 said the location of the robbery concerns her.

"That's definitely close to where everybody walks," she said. "It feels like a safe place."

McNamara said that even the designated pathway can be dangerous.

"We keep an eye on those pathways. That's part of our patrols, but like anything else there are no guarantees," McNamara said.

Kara M. Yokley, '98, a Pforzheimer resident who said her friend was assaulted at gun point last year in Cambridge Commons, said it's a matter of common sense. "You have to be street-wise," she said. "They were out pretty late."

This incident comes after a string of street robberies reported in areas surrounding Harvard during the month of December