Two students reported being robbed by an armed group of eight to 10 men at about 3:15 a.m. Sunday on the 700 block of Walnut Avenue, according to Interim Chief Tony Callisto of Syracuse University Public Safety.

At about the same time, Public Safety officers received a call about a disturbance but found nobody matching the descriptions after searching the area around 3:30 a.m., Callisto said.

The group of men allegedly approached the two students, demanding they empty their pockets, Callisto said. One had a handgun in his belt, the other had a stun gun, which is similar to a taser but requires the user to press the gun against a victim before administering a shock.

One of the victims was struck to the ground and suffered minor injuries, Callisto said. Both emptied their pockets, and the suspects were last seen fleeing north toward Harrison Street.

Descriptions of the suspects are vague, he said.

It wasn’t until 6 p.m. Sunday that the two victims reported the crime through a silent witness e-mail, Callisto said. Investigation had stopped on the disturbance call from the night before.

‘It didn’t come across at all as what it ended up being,’ he said of the initial call.

Published on April 29, 2007 at 12:00 pm