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A group of teenagers assaulted four college students Saturday night just a few blocks from the University of Cincinnati.

Investigators said 10 teenagers repeatedly punched the students but didn't attempt to steal anything. One victim received treatment for facial injuries at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

UC police told WCPO’s Amy Wadas they believe the assailants are between 14 and 16 years old. They also said three females participated in the beatings.

The incident on Saturday is the latest in a string of violent activities near the campus in Clifton.

On Tuesday, there were two robberies where students had their cellphones stolen at gunpoint. In both instances, which occurred at about 11 p.m., a person with a handgun approached students and demanded their phones.

Investigators suspect the same person is behind both offenses.

Three weeks earlier, on the night of Feb. 2, a man robbed and shot a UC sophomore on Jefferson Avenue near Carlton Street.

Police arrested Michael Davis the next day and charged him with 19 felony counts. He's also charged in the Jan. 7 shooting death of Curron Jones.

"There comes a point when you get desensitized to the topic," said Elizabeth Bradford, a freshman at the university. "Some days you get up to five emails (from UC) - it becomes normal then, like, you cross your fingers when you walk home hoping that it's not me."

Classmate Mitchell Dodd said it's important to remain alert and avoid precarious situations.

"As long as you stick together, you're fine. But you definitely want to be on guard."

Campus police say there are four officers on patrol every day between the evening hours of 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. every day.

The department plans to hire seven more officers by April.

After the next round of hires, UC police officials said they’d like to add an additional six to 12. That move needs to be approved by President Santa Ono.

In addition to extra police officers, university officials sent students a letter in January that listed several safety precautions.

The tips ranged from keeping a radio on when you're not at home to using a deadbolt lock to trimming your hedges to a certain length to control visibility into your windows.

Most importantly, though, the university advised students to watch out for one another.

“I try not to do stupid things that would make myself a target,” said Jacob Hamblin, a junior. "You want to make sure you’re not a target.”

Anyone with information about crimes involving should call the UC police tip line at 513-556-COPS or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hami...ati-campus

As my kid looks at engineering programs, I would be lying if I said this stuff goes unnoticed by his mom and I when it comes to considering schools. It seems to be getting worse somehow.

(02-24-2014 07:27 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  As my kid looks at engineering programs, I would be lying if I said this stuff goes unnoticed by his mom and I when it comes to considering schools. It seems to be getting worse somehow.

Agreed. We've got to get a handle on this. These reports seem to be getting more frequent not less..

Wait til the weather heats up and the riff-raff can go outside. A group of teenage boys, AND girls jump a few students. That's nice, co-ed thuggerey.