Students injured in Tang Hall knife robberies
Two University of York students were injured in separate knife robberies in Tang Hall in the early hours of Wednesday, October 10. Police believe the two robberies may be linked.
The first robbery occurred at around 12.30am on Arthur Street. Second year student and URY presenter Rob Watts was walking home when two men in balaclavas jumped out from behind a car. One was carrying a knife.
Watts said: “One of them grabbed me and started going through my pockets and the other one said ‘Give us your wallet and your keys.’ I said ‘Sod off, I haven’t got anything for you.’” One of the attackers slashed Watts’s hand with the knife.
Watts said the knife “looked like a kitchen knife to me, but my focus wasn’t on the fact that I knew the knife was there or what it looked like. My focus was on getting away from it.”
After being cut, Watts handed over his wallet and keys and the attackers turned and ran off.
The second attack occurred at around 3am on Fourth Avenue, when a group of Derwent JCRC members were walking back from Toffs. A single attacker came out from Carter Avenue behind the group. He was wearing a balaclava and holding a knife.
Third Year student Moe Hashim said: “We were walking along Fourth Avenue and we heard this scream from behind us. I was in the back of the group and I turned around and there was a guy in a balaclava with a really big knife.
“The knife looked like a cutlass – it had a golden handle and was curved at the top. I remember the weapon better than anything. My first thought was that it looked like a toy from the Disney store. I thought he had picked it up from a student.
“I put my hand out and grabbed at the blade and as I did he slashed my hand twice really quickly. It wasn’t till I looked down that I realized I was bleeding.”
As Hashim stepped back the attacker stabbed at him. “He stabbed the knife twice into my stomach. It left me with a bruise but didn’t actually penetrate. It didn’t seem very sharp. I lifted up my t-shirt to see if I was bleeding and by the time I looked up he was already running away.”
Hashim suffered a series of small cuts to his hand that formed a ‘z’ shape. The attempt to stab his stomach left him with bruises but failed to draw blood.
One of the other members of the group threw his wallet on the ground which the attacker grabbed. The attacker turned and ran down Fourth Avenue, pulling his balaclava off as he went. Derwent JCRC Chair Jamie Tyler was able to get a look at the attacker’s face as he ran away and was later able to help police produce an e-fit. Tyler said the resemblance of the e-fit to the attacker was “good to average.”
Hashim said the attacker was white and looked like he was aged about 20 years old. He said the attacker was wearing a dark hoodie, Adidas tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.
Speaking about the attacks, a police spokesman said: “Due to the similarity in nature and the timing of the incidents, there is a strong possibility that they are linked.”
Police have urged anyone who has any information on the identities of the attackers or was a witness to either of the attacks to call York CID on 0845 60 60 247.
Students are advised to be vigilant when walking home late at night, even in large groups, and to report any suspicious sightings.
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