A female Syracuse University student was dragged from Ostrom Avenue into Thornden Park Monday at 7:20 p.m., according to police.

The woman, who was walking alone, had her purse and digital camera taken by the suspects after being assaulted.

‘They punched her and hit her, then took her purse,’ said Sgt. Tom Connellan, of the Syracuse Police Department.

The victim received minor injuries, but nothing that she wished to be treated for in a hospital, Connellan said.

After the suspects left the victim, she ran to a friend’s house at the 600 block of Ostrom Avenue, where she called the police, he said.

The police have a minimal description of the suspects: three black males, between the ages of 18 and 23, wearing dark, hooded sweatshirts and jeans, Connellan said.

The Ostrom Avenue incident was the most recent of eight robberies in and around the university community, said Capt. Drew Buske of Public Safety.

Five of the eight robberies were committed late Sunday night, Buske said. The other three occurred after sundown on Monday.

The known robberies occurred on Livingston Avenue, Greenwood Place and Westcott Avenue, according to a Syracuse Police Department report given to News 10 Now.

None of the victims in the eight robberies were seriously injured, Buske said.

In all of the eight robberies, knives were used to threaten the victims. The Greenwood Place victim was the only one injured by a weapon, when one of the suspects whipped the victim in the face with his handgun Buske said.

‘There are similarities in all eight that would lead you to believe that the suspects are all involved,’ Buske said.

Similarities in suspect description, location, weapons, time and date correlated between the eight robberies, he said.

Usually when incidents like these occur, Public Safety sends out a Campus Hot News e-mail, but there were several factors that prevented Public Safety from informing the campus community.

Marlene Hall, director of Public Safety, said Tuesday afternoon the Campus Hot News e-mail would be out later that night.

‘We were about to put out our alert,’ Hall said.

However, Public Safety wanted to check its facts with the Syracuse Police Department because the crimes were committed off campus and out of DPS’s jurisdiction, Hall said.

Hall, Buske and Connellan all said it is not uncommon for more robberies to occur around Halloween than on other nights of the year.

From now until the winter holidays, incidents of crime will be higher, both locally and nationally, Buske and Hall said.

Several factors added to the string of weekend robberies. Hall thinks the holiday and the recent nice weather have added to more people being outside later at night, carrying more money than usual, she said.

Students being outside when it is dark, especially after daylight-saving time, and walking alone or in pairs add to being targeted as victims, Hall said.

Hall provided several tips for SU students to avoid becoming victims. She said she recommends walking in groups of three or more, keeping visible jewelry to a minimum and staying in well-lit areas to help reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim.

‘If confronted by individuals, cooperate, surrender your belongings and do what they tell you to do and report it as soon as possible,’ Buske said.

Hall said she agreed with Buske. She also mentioned that fighting back or chasing after a robber is not a good idea.

Public Safety provides several methods for students to be transported safely from one place to another. By calling Public Safety, students can take shuttles to wherever they need to go, Hall said.

Published on November 1, 2005 at 12:00 pm