Police are unsure if Friday's armed robbery on Marsh Street, where robbers claimed to be police, is related to an incident a few weeks ago when a man was killed after people entered his home claiming to be drug task force members, Muncie Detective Lt. Al Williams said.
He said it was too early to tell because while some elements were similar, others were not.
Williams said the residents, Ball State University junior Seth Robinson and sophomore Joel Suenram, refused to give statements to the police after Friday's robbery.
"With something as serious as this, it is unheard of to not get statements from the witnesses," Williams said.
Robinson said he asked police if he could wait until Monday to give a full report because he was tired and did not want to spend all night at the police station.
Williams said there has been a high number of home invasions, particularly armed robberies, in the Muncie area, which is uncommon. There have been four or five during the past couple months, compared to the usual one to two per year. Many of these have been near Ball State.
Also, the crimes are more violent than in past years, and Williams said he didn't think those crimes were random.
"In some of these cases we see the robberies are leading back to other activities," he said.
An example of these other activities could include involvement in illegal drugs, he said.
Robinson said he did not recognize the voice or faces of the robbers Friday, and has no idea who would want to rob him.
"I'm just keeping my eyes open," he said. "I'm kind of suspicious of everyone right now."
Williams said he has heard of previous cases where robbers pretended to be police. Any police officers knocking at your door should be easily identifiable, he said.
"They won't just have a mask on without police insignias at your door," he said. "You can call 911 if you're uncomfortable."
Williams said the drug task force acts a little differently. They don't spend as much time waiting for you to respond before they enter a home, but they still wear official uniforms. Undercover cops in street clothes would not try to talk to people at home, so students should not open the door until they have verified unidentified police were purposefully sent.
Students should be more vigilant because in addition to more robberies occurring near campus, robberies tend to be more common during this time of the year, he said.
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