EDITOR'S NOTE: Some sources in this story have chosen not to release their full names.
Police arrested two Muncie teenagers Friday afternoon in connection with a pre-dawn armed robbery.
"We made a couple of arrests and are in the process right now of trying to determine exactly who was involved and how they were involved," Muncie police Lt. Steve Cox said.
Jihad Rashad Foster, 19, and Rayveen Symone Wilson, 18, were each charged with three counts of armed robbery, all Class B felonies. Another suspect remains at large, police said.
The suspects are believed to have robbed students walking in the Village around 1:20 a.m. Friday. They were described as black males wearing black clothing, according to a Muncie Police report, and were seen heading west toward campus after the incident.
A group - including some Ball State students - was walking toward the Village when the incident occurred at the intersection of Dill and Gilbert streets. The alleged thieves stopped them and demanded they empty their pockets. An iPhone, wallets and several cards were reported stolen.
"One of them had a gun," said Quinton Rodriguez, listed as a victim on the police report. "It was pulled on me personally and they put it to my temple. It was weird. It didn't seem real."
Rodriguez's iPhone 4 and wallet was stolen, according to the report. In the wallet, he had a Chemical Bank card, Marathon card, Lake Michigan Credit Union card and a Michigan ID.
With the "Find My iPhone" application Rodriquez had previously installed on his phone, police have tracked it since the incident.
"There is evidence that leads in the right direction," said Cox, but he would not comment further on the status of the phone.
Another victim, Jordan, offered a stack of credit cards to the robbers but they threw them down and she was able to recover them, according to the report.
"They held up a gun to two of the guys we were with, to their heads," Jordan said. "Nothing like that has happened to me before."
Riley Castellano walked by the group while the incident happened.
"I thought it was a bunch of kids, then I saw something wasn't right," Castellano said. "As we got closer, I saw that one of them had a gun to someone else's head. I was so scared."
Castellano said the robbery took place in a very dark area under a tree. He warned people he saw to stay away. He later was a witness to police.
"It really opens your eyes to if you're safe or not anywhere," he said.
Randy, another Ball State student, had his wallet and about $20 in cash and rewards cards taken.
"[The gun] was on my roommate for the majority of the time and as they were walking by, they pointed it at all of us," he said.
Rodriguez's other roommate, Daniel, also was present during the robbery.
"One of them pulled a gun to my roommate's face," Daniel said. "I didn't really expect that to happen in a quiet college town. Just a little bit shocked."
After the suspects ran away, the victims and witnesses said they were thankful for their safety.
"Everybody is safe, everybody is a little shaken up, but everybody is alright, just happy about that," Rodriguez said, "whether we get our stuff back or not."
Read More
The eyes and ears of the David Owsley Museum of Art
By Madelyn Bracken / YesterdayThe David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) doesn’t only house art. For many Ball State University students, it houses opportunity. Graduate and social media assistant, and former DOMA intern and guard, Taylor Hamblin spent the past two years working at the museum surrounded with possibilities to further her career while at Ball State.
Center for Peace offers academic opportunities
By Meghan Braddy and Grayson Joslin / 2 days agoOver the years, the center has offered a peace studies minor, conflict resolution training and grant funding.
AP: New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction
By Staff Reports / 2 days agoNew York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case, according to the Associated Press (AP).
