Another Armed Robbery In Square

Three Harvard Business School students were robbed at gunpoint on Dec. 21 at 4:30 a.m. at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Bow Street.

Cambridge Police Department (CPD) spokesperson Frank D. Pasquarello said Friday that CPD has not made any arrests related to the armed robbery, which is the most recent incident in a wave of violent crime in the area.

The victims told police that the suspects approached them from behind and displayed two small handguns before taking the wallet of one of the victims.

The suspects hit another victim over the head with the handgun because the victim was too slow in handing over a bag, the victims told police.

Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) spokesperson Steven G. Catalano said the victim refused medical treatment on the scene and that no one was seriously injured.

According to Catalano, the victims described the suspects as two black males in their early 20s. One was 5 feet 11 inches tall and wore jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt, while the other was between 5 feets 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and wore a black coat.

Catalano said students should always be cautious, no matter how many people are walking with them.

“Even when walking in groups you still need to be aware of your surrounding, especially late at night,” Catalano said. “If you’re in a situation where you feel unsafe, call [HUPD] immediately.”

The Dec. 21 incident was only the latest in a string of armed robberies in and around Harvard.

Unlike other recent violent crimes—including two daylight robberies in the Yard—this incident occurred at night and involved three victims, not one.

While no arrests have been made in the Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 Yard robberies, the suspects are high school students, not men in their 20s.

An undergraduate was robbed on Nov. 20 in JFK Park around 6:45 p.m. by three black males in their mid-20s, one of whom was about 6 feet tall and 300 pounds.

Three assaults also occurred recently in the Yard.

In the Nov. 12 incident, five males of high school age approached a student and attempted to block his path, saying “I bet he’s gay” before leaving the area.

That same week, on Nov. 15, a Harvard undergraduate and another person were victims of what they called a “gay-bashing” incident.

In the Nov. 15 incident—which resulted in one juvenile arrest—victims reported eight 12- to 14-year-old black males as the perpetrators.

On Dec. 12, a University employee reported that three males of high school age assaulted him while he was walking in the Yard around 4 p.m. and allegedlyThree Harvard Business School students were robbed at gunpoint on Dec. 21 at 4:30 a.m. at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Bow Street.

Cambridge Police Department (CPD) spokesperson Frank D. Pasquarello said Friday that CPD has not made any arrests related to the armed robbery, which is the most recent incident in a wave of violent crime in the area.

The victims told police that the suspects approached them from behind and displayed two small handguns before taking the wallet of one of the victims.

The suspects hit another victim over the head with the handgun because the victim was too slow in handing over a bag, the victims told police.

Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) spokesperson Steven G. Catalano said the victim refused medical treatment on the scene and that no one was seriously injured.

According to Catalano, the victims described the suspects as two black males in their early 20s. One was 5 feet 11 inches tall and wore jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt, while the other was between 5 feets 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and wore a black coat.

Catalano said students should always be cautious, no matter how many people are walking with them.

“Even when walking in groups you still need to be aware of your surrounding, especially late at night,” Catalano said. “If you’re in a situation where you feel unsafe, call [HUPD] immediately.”

The Dec. 21 incident was only the latest in a string of armed robberies in and around Harvard.

Unlike other recent violent crimes—including two daylight robberies in the Yard—this incident occurred at night and involved three victims, not one.

While no arrests have been made in the Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 Yard robberies, the suspects are high school students, not men in their 20s.

An undergraduate was robbed on Nov. 20 in JFK Park around 6:45 p.m. by three black males in their mid-20s, one of whom was about 6 feet tall and 300 pounds.

Three assaults also occurred recently in the Yard.

In the Nov. 12 incident, five males of high school age approached a student and attempted to block his path, saying “I bet he’s gay” before leaving the area.

That same week, on Nov. 15, a Harvard undergraduate and another person were victims of what they called a “gay-bashing” incident.

In the Nov. 15 incident—which resulted in one juvenile arrest—victims reported eight 12- to 14-year-old black males as the perpetrators.

On Dec. 12, a University employee reported that three males of high school age assaulted him while he was walking in the Yard around 4 p.m. and allegedly called the victim “faggot.”

Catalano said HUPD has made no arrests in these incidents, except for the Nov. 15 juvenile arrest.

On Dec. 14, two black males—one who was armed—robbed the Starbucks on Church Street around midnight.

The suspects tied up two of the employees, but Pasquarello said no one was injured in the armed robbery.

Pasquarello said CPD has made no arrests related to the case.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.