Richmond police are investigating two robberies in quick succession last night in the Fan District near the southwestern edge of Virginia Commonwealth University’s main academic campus.
A group of three males, at least two of whom had guns, committed the robberies within a few seconds of each other, police Capt. David L. Martin said.
“They were just picking targets as they walked down the street,” Martin said.
The lone injury involved a person who was struck in the head with a handgun and was treated at VCU Medical Center for a small laceration, Martin said.
A blown transformer had created a partial power outage in the area at the time, with many buildings and traffic lights dark but a number of street lights still functioning, Martin said.
He said the first robbery occurred at 9:47 p.m. in the 1300 block of West Main Street, near the Randolph Street intersection, when two people getting into a car were confronted by three suspects who forced them to get prone on the ground and took their wallets.
The robbers then moved eastbound toward Brunswick Street and found a small group of people sitting on a porch and robbed them as well, this time striking one of the victims in the head, Martin said.
Because of the poor lighting conditions, witnesses were able to describe the robbers only as three black males, all wearing dark clothing, including one with a hoodie.
Police brought in canine tracking teams to help in the search for the suspects, who were last seen getting in a car near Cary and Morris streets, a short distance southeast of the second robbery.
Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at (804) 780-1000.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement