A man was arrested Sunday after a group robbed, assaulted and chased three Como residents, according to Minneapolis police.

One of the alleged victims, a University of Minnesota junior, said he and his two roommates were walking home around 12:45 a.m. near the intersection of 12th Avenue Southeast and Talmage Avenue Southeast when they were approached by a group of seven or eight men.

The man said the group asked him and his roommates if they had a lighter.

When he told the group he did not have one and to “have a good night,” the group began to kick and punch him and his roommates.

One of the roommates managed to get away from the attackers but was chased by several members of the group, the man said.

After being punched several times, the third roommate gave the group his wallet.

As the group began to run away, the victims spotted a police car stopped at an intersection down the street.

None of the roommates were seriously hurt the man said, and as they reported the incident to the police car nearby, several other officers arrived on the scene.

Six arresting officers responded to the incident, according to the police report.

One man was arrested for aggravated robbery.

The man said he and his friends were targeted because they were intoxicated at the time of the assault, making them “easy targets.”

Nick Juarez, crime prevention specialist for the Minneapolis Police Department 2nd precinct, said the incident is under further investigation.

Two similar group robbery and assault incidents have been reported in the area in the last month.

Man detains woman trying to steal from car until police arrive

A man sat on a woman he caught stealing from his car Sunday night to hold her until police arrived.

Marcus Hackett, a Southeast Como neighborhood resident, confronted the woman after she entered his car and was able to detain her while he waited for police, according to the police report.

Hackett said that he was cooking fish on his roof around 5:00 p.m. when his neighbor alerted him a woman had broken into his car.

She attempted to steal a GPS system from his car, Hackett said, and then began to run after the neighbor notified him of what was happening.

“When I caught up to her I had to tackle her, but I was able to keep her from getting away,” he said. “I just had to sit on her to keep her still.”

Hackett said at one point the woman wrestled her way free but he held her by her shirt to keep her from running away.

The woman, who failed to escape before police arrived, was arrested and charged with a felony for theft from a motor vehicle.