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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Police at University of Santa Cruz are issuing a warning Wednesday after four suspects violently attacked and robbed four students at random.
It started after one of the victims was kidnapped near downtown and then taken to a friend's dorm.
Students living at Oakes College, one of the 10 residential colleges on campus, are on heightened alert.
"Oakes has always been a safe haven to me," said resident Kathryn Douglas. "So this is very alarming."
"It's just alarming not just Oakes community but all the students around campus," said Bryan Diaz who lives at Oakes College.
University police said a student was walking alone by a Greyhound station near downtown Santa Cruz on Tuesday around midnight when three men and a woman approached him. The men then jumped him at knife point, taking his money and cell phone.
They then forced the student in their car, described as a white sedan, drove 3.5 miles to the university. Police said, their intention was to rob more students.
They ended up at Oakes College, where the victim's friend lives in one of the dorms. They assaulted and robbed three more students.
"I was a little bit scared because the fact that I was just here studying around the time it happened," said Diaz. "I was just coming back and that could have been me."
"Police are investigating it as a random attack," said University Spokesman Scott Hernandez-Jason. "It appears to be an isolated incident. once the report was made to the police. We sent out a campus wide notice to let the campus know this had happened."
The four victims were treated for bumps and bruises. Police describe the three male suspects as in their early 20's all believed to be carrying knives. The female suspect was described to be in her late teens, early 20's.
The group also had a light brown pit bull with a white spot on its body. Students said it's a reminder you can never be too careful.
"Hearing about it is still scary," said Olivia Steward who is a first-year student. "I'm kind of happy to be going home at this time."
Hernandez-Jason said there are no surveillance cameras on campus. Police are hoping to obtain video from this station as well as nearby businesses for any clues on the suspects.