Man Injured In Violent Robbery Near 'U' Shares Story
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A concussion and a broken nose are the physical signs of what happened to Tom Lancaster early Saturday morning near the West Bank of the University of Minnesota.
"I spent a lot of the day vomiting," Lancaster said.
But he says the group of four men that robbed and beat him hurt his sense of security the most.
"I haven't in the past really second guessed where I was walking, or when I was walking I took that kind of safety for granted," he said.
Lancaster says it was around 1:30 a.m. Saturday when he and his friends left Grumpy's Bar in downtown Minneapolis. He decided to part from his friends and walk a few blocks home.
That's when he says a group of men started walking too close to him.
"I turned around and they attacked me and got me on ground and kicked me a couple times in the head, [and] took my keys and my wallet," Lancaster said.
He says his friends driving past found him unconscious and got help.
Minneapolis Police Spokesman John Elder says with evidence of two more violent robberies happening in one weekend, it's time to remind everyone of the simple steps to avoid becoming an easy target.
"When you're out walking try to go with extra people, stay in well lit areas, don't have valuables readily accessible," Elder said.
Lancaster is missing work as he recovers from his concussion symptoms, and he may need surgery on his nose. But he says he knows things could have been a lot worse, and wants everyone to be careful.
"It doesn't really matter who you are," Lancaster said. "If you're alone in a dark place at night, you're vulnerable."
He says the people who attacked him didn't get any money from him because his friends helped him cancel his cards.
Police say the descriptions in these robberies were very generic because the people were startled during the swift attacks. But they are looking over surveillance video around the crime scenes and increasing patrols in the areas where they occurred.
