Three robberies at gunpoint occurred in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood near the University of Minnesota this weekend, according to Minneapolis police reports.

Early Sunday morning, a group of men confronted four people not affiliated with the University on the corner of 13th Avenue Southeast and Eighth Street Southeast, the report said.

Nathan Crist said he and his friends were in Dinkytown for a party when they were attacked by the group of men.

One threatened a victim with a gun, firing it into the air near the victim’s head, according to the police report.

Crist sustained multiple injuries in the incident, including a broken nose, bruises to his face and stitches. He said his friends were also injured.

“I … kind of blacked out the whole situation,” Crist said.

University police sent alerts to students, faculty and staff notifying them of two more crimes from last week. Federal law requires UMPD to send alerts when violent crimes occur near University or student group buildings.

Two people were also robbed at gunpoint on the corner of Fifth Avenue Southeast and Seventh Street Southeast late Saturday night, according to a police report. 

Two men threatened the victims with a handgun, demanding their purses, a University crime alert said. When one of the victims didn’t comply, one of the men hit her and took the purses. Neither victim was injured, according to the University alert.

On Thursday night, a University student and a friend were robbed near the corner of 11th Avenue Southeast and Seventh Street Southeast.

Six men surrounded the two, threatening them with a gun and stealing the student’s purse, according to the University alert.

According to Minneapolis police data, there were eight aggravated assaults like this one in Marcy-Holmes from January to August this year.

Burglary

A University student’s Dinkytown home was broken into early Saturday morning, according to a Minneapolis police report.

Materials science junior John Stierna was home at the time. Stierna said he heard someone rummaging around on the third floor of the house and went to investigate.

The suspect jumped from the third-floor balcony and ran away after seeing Stierna, the report said.

Stierna said the suspect must have broken in through a first-floor screen door. Though the suspect didn’t steal anything, he may have left his cellphone, the report said.

Stierna said he’s noticed other nearby houses have also been broken into recently.

“I think there’s somebody around here who’s breaking into more than one house,” Stierna said.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer said it’s “too early to tell” if recent burglaries in the area are linked.

The Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which includes Dinkytown, saw 69 burglaries from January to August this year.