Charlottesville police made six arrests Fri., Feb. 1 in conjunction with a series of robberies and assaults of University students that have taken place over the past six months.
The first assault occurred in September 2001 and the most recent took place Jan. 25.
"These incidents began as an unplanned, spontaneous event," the Charlottesville police said in a press release. The compiled information shows that after the "initial incident the groups went out [again] with the intention of committing assaults."
Five juveniles and one adult were arrested. The Charlottesville police described the crimes as racially based. All of those arrested were black and part of the Charlottesville school systems. All of the victims were white University students, according to the press release.
"Assailants did say the victims were chosen on the basis of race," Lt. J.W. Gibson said in an interview with The Daily Progress.
The police charged four males Friday. One 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time of the assaults, was charged with felonious assault. Another 17-year-old was charged with robbery and felonious assault. Two 16-year-olds also were charged, one with felonious assault and the other with malicious wounding.
"They are juveniles [or were at the time of attack] so their names are not being released," Sgt. C.R. Smith said.
The police also charged two 17-year-old females Friday. One was charged with robbery and felonious assault and the other was charged with robbery and simple assault.
It has not been determined if any of the suspects will be tried as adults. They currently are being detained in juvenile facilities.
Gibson said although some white people accompanied the attackers during some of the assaults, none were charged formally.
"They weren't the ones dealing the blows," he told The Daily Progress.
Four attacks have occurred since the beginning of 2002, with two incidents reported on Jan. 12.
In the first, four black males attacked a first-year student while he walked from his dormitory to a friend's house on Clarke Court. The second incident involved a total of eight black males and females who attacked three University students.
Jan. 18, a black male attacked a female student along the 300 block of 15th Street.
Most recently, Jan. 25, three second-year male students were attacked at the corner of University Way and Rugby Road on their way to a fraternity rush event. The attackers reportedly were two black females and three or four black males.
Police credit Ron Stayments, the School Resource Officer at Charlottesville High School, as being indispensable in helping solve the case.
"There were multiple people involved so the matter is still being investigated," Smith said.
The press release said more arrests are anticipated, but no additional arrests have been made since Friday.
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