Eight student-aged people were mugged and beaten last month while walking to and from the bars in the midtown area, according to the Gainesville Police Department.
The thieves stole things like wallets and cell phones and beat the victims while getting the goods, GPD Capt. Ed Book said.
It doesn't matter that the victims have been cooperative, he said.
"The victims are being compliant, and yet the robbers are still hurting them," he said.
One of the victims was sent to the hospital, where he reported the crime the next day, he said.
Police believe that all of the victims had consumed alcohol, he said.
Sometimes there are two or three thieves, and in one case involving two international UF students there may have been as many as five or six male attackers who got away with nothing more than a gold chain.
The string of robberies ran from May 2 to May 24, he said. They all occurred late Friday night to early Saturday morning or late Saturday night to early Sunday morning.
There were other robberies in those areas in the same time period, he said, but the eight that involved student-aged individuals are all very similar.
Police have no suspects in any of the cases. To help prevent further attacks, he said the department has thrown extra resources at the area, running more patrols and even bringing in the Mounted Unit, otherwise known as the horse cops.
Student Body President Jordan Johnson, who conducted a ride-along with a GPD officer Monday night in response to the crimes, said he thinks students should still go out and have a good time but should take more precautions like not walking alone.
"I'm pro-drinking," he said. "I just want them to do it safely."
Campus Security Adviser Lawrence Raab also went on a ride-along.
