Police are searching today for a group of about 15 young people believed to have punched one passerby and robbed and beaten another in rapid succession on Virginia Commonwealth University's main downtown Richmond campus.

Neither victim was seriously injured in the two attacks, which happened along Shafer Street on the Monroe Park campus about 2:55am.

VCU and Richmond police described the assailants as a group of 15 black males between the ages of 17 and 22.

“Last night there was a tremendous amount of activity in this area between the hours of 2am and 3am,” VCU Police Chief John Venuti said at a morning news conference.

The first victim, who is not a VCU student, reported being punched without provocation by a member of the group while getting out of a vehicle at Shafer and West Grace streets.

Moments later, the group encountered the second victim, a VCU student, at Shafer and West Franklin streets. The student told police one member of the group made a comment about his boots before he was punched in the back of the head and knocked to the ground.

Once on the ground, the student was allegedly was told by one of the assailants, "Give me everything you've got." The student was punched again, this time in the neck, and a pack of cigarettes was stolen from his pants pocket, police said.

The assailants were last seen heading south through Shafer Court.

The attacks came just days after students had returned to campus for the start of the fall semester and at a time when VCU Police Chief John Venuti is undertaking several measures to increase security. Classes start today, a university spokesman said...

Venuti wouldn’t say how many officers were working in the area when the attacks happened. He said staffing levels were adequate and had been increased for the campus move-in period.

He encouraged students to avoid traveling alone, to use VCU’s security escort service and to be aware of their surroundings.

“It’s our responsibility to protect our students regardless of what choices they make, regardless of what actions they take,” he said.

Police are reviewing video footage that shows the suspected attackers and are asking anyone who might know them to call police.

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Editor's Note: These racially based mob attacks, perpetrated almost exclusively by Black youths, are becoming commonplace. Flash mobs in urban centers see businesses ransacked, mobs of Black teens have targeted innocents in vicious beatings simply for existing and street thug games like "Knock Out," where predominantly Black youths target people with a blind-side punch to the face in an effort to "knock them out" so as to rob them. Meanwhile, Attorney General Eric Holder says we are cowards for not addressing racism? Maybe he should look at the thuggish racism within his own community before he shoots his arrogant mouth off to the rest of civilized society.


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