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Friday, March 29, 2024

Cambridge Police are investigating four possibly related robberies within the past six days in Area IV, Cambridgeport and Mid-Cambridge.

Two took place Friday between 7:45 and 8:20 p.m., with about 30 minutes between them, police said Wednesday in a press release. Two more robberies took place Tuesday at 9:55 and 10:10 p.m., with about 15 minutes between them.

Three of the five robbery victims were white men between the ages of 25 and 30 years of age who were walking alone. In one incident, two white men between 25 and 30 years of age were robbed.

In three of the four incidents, the victims were approached from behind by two black men who brandished a knife and took the victims’ wallets, backpacks, laptops and cell phones.

Police are looking for two black men, possibly in their late teens or early twenties. One suspect is described as chubby, and the other is described as tall with a thin build and dark skin.

Cambridge Police are sharing information with police at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and will make more information available in the October release of BridgeStat crime data, which will be available next week on the Cambridge Police Department website. The robberies will be the focus of the department’s BridgeStat meeting Thursday.

In the latest report, released Oct. 1, police data show robberies down 23 percent from this time last year but up 15 percent in the previous four weeks — credited to only two incidents, because of the low number of overall incidents. Street robbery is showing an 18 percent decline from a five-year average.

Cambridge Police would like to remind students and citizens to take the following precautions when walking at night:

  • Walk with a friend or in a group when possible.
  • Walk with confidence and at a good, steady pace. Keep your head up and observe your surroundings. Don’t look down at the ground or wear ear buds, headphones or listen to music when walking alone.
  • Trust your instincts. If you feel you are being followed, show you are suspicious — turn to look at the person. It sends a clear message you will not be taken by surprise.
  • Change directions. If someone is following you on foot, cross the street and vary your pace. If the person following you is in a car, turn and walk in the opposite direction.

This post used significants amount of material from a press release.