One UF student was robbed at gunpoint and another was kicked in the mouth in two muggings that occured over the weekend, according to police.
The muggings are part of a growing trend targeting young adults in areas on and near campus.
From June 1 to July 7, there were 37 robberies in the city - not including campus. At least 12 happened near campus, according to data provided by the Gainesville Police Department.
In many cases, the victims are drunk and walking alone late at night, said GPD spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg.
At around 1:18 a.m. Sunday, a man approached a student walking from his car to his apartment at Corry Village, a graduate student housing complex in the northwest part of campus.
The man pointed a gun at the student, pushed him to the ground and demanded his car keys. The student refused to give up his keys and handed over cash instead, according to the University Police Department.
The man then took the student/s cell phone from his pocket and ran. The suspect is described as a 5-foot 11-inch black man wearing a black T-shirt, dark jeans and a black mask.
The second robbery occurred on Northwest 11th Street about 30 minutes later. The student, who was alone, had his wallet stolen and was kicked in the mouth. He described the suspects as two black men, one fat and the other of normal build.
Kameg questioned why the student, who had a phone, called his credit card companies before the police.
"My first reaction was just, 'I don/t want these jerks to spend my money, and so I just canceled my cards immediately,'" the student said, though he admitted he probably should have called police first.
