Two University alumni returning to campus for homecoming festivities were brutally attacked early Sunday.

George Miserendino, 26, said he and a friend called it a night at about 1:20 a.m. and started walking home when they noticed three men following them in the 1700 block of University Avenue Southeast.

A verbal confrontation ensued, which quickly came to blows, he said.

Miserendino said the attackers knocked him unconscious while hitting his friend several times. The friend managed to tackle one attacker and held him down until police arrived, he said.

“These guys were looking to hurt somebody,” Miserendino said. “There’re sick people out there.”

Miserendino suffered multiple injuries, including a broken nose in two places, a fractured skull and eye socket, a concussion and a separated jaw, he said.

An ambulance transported him to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment, according to the police report.

So far, police have arrested one suspect – the man Miserendino’s friend held down – for felony assault causing significant bodily harm, Minneapolis police Lt. Greg Reinhardt said.

No further arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing, he said.

Doctor’s computer stolen

Sometime during Nov. 2, a notebook computer was stolen from a doctor’s desk in the Phillips-Wangensteen Building.

Elizabeth Webster, the administrative director of medical education, said the door to the doctor’s personal office was not locked and other people in the area could have seen the theft.

She said many people move in and out of the office to see physicians.

“Whoever took (the computer) was someone who blended in,” Webster said. “I guess we have to pay more attention.”

University police Deputy Chief Steve Johnson said theft is the No. 1 crime on campus and laptops seem to be the item of choice.

“The only way to fight theft is to reduce opportunities for thieves to take items,” he said.

The computer did not have any patient information on it, Webster said. However, she said, an important document pertaining to accreditation was saved on it.

Illegal sale

An employee at the 4th Street Market grocery store on 4th Street Southeast sold alcohol to minors who were sent in by police Friday afternoon.

The Minneapolis Police License Investigation Division sent underage decoys into the store to make sure the business checked IDs, police said.

The clerk failed to identify the minors as underage and sold them beer, according to the police report.

Minneapolis police Lt. Travis Glampe said this violation is the store’s third and comes with a $2,000 fine.

The 4th Street Market must meet with the Technical Advisory Committee of the Minneapolis City Council to discuss the fate of its license to sell alcohol, Glampe said. City ordinance calls for the revocation of a store’s license after the third offense, he said.

Since 1998, Minneapolis police have conducted youth alcohol compliance checks at more than 500 places that sell liquor, Reinhardt said.

“All they have to do is ask people for an ID, check it and if a person is not of age, they shouldn’t sell to them,” he said.

Glampe said the compliance checks are performed at least once a week with both male and female decoys aged 18-20 years old.

“It’s more random,” he said. “We try and check every store that has not passed two consecutive checks. They get checked every year.”