Police arrest men in string of abductions, robberies at Wayne State University

3 men linked to at least 6 crimes, police say

DETROIT – Police at Wayne State University said they've arrested the men wanted for abducting people, driving them to ATMs and stealing their money.

The most recent instance happened Oct. 18 when a student was kidnapped outside the nursing school at Cass and Ferry avenues, police said.

Officials said the three men in custody have been linked to at least six crimes in Detroit.

"I will not be surprised if we discover other cases that happened outside of the city of Detroit," Wayne State University police Chief Anthony Holt said. "This crew was very successful in what they were doing."

Holt said the three men are responsible for two abductions and robberies on Wayne State's campus. They allegedly picked on people walking alone, coerced them into a car and drove them to ATMs.

"They took his phone and, through an app that they had, they had him transfer his account to their account," Holt said.

It took surveillance, technology and ground work to find the men, Holt said.

"These types of incidents are very foreign to us," Holt said. "We don't have these types of incidents on our campus, and when we do, it becomes a major priority."

Many students feel like campus is safe but still have concerns about this type of issue.

"I think we're getting a little bit more vulnerable because, oh yeah, we're students -- bright-eyed and experiencing the city life," Wayne State student Jasmine Bullock said. "We're a little bit more vulnerable compared to other campuses."

Wayne State police are working with other agencies to see if the men are linked to more crimes.


About the Authors

Koco joined the Local 4 News team in September of 2016. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit, attended Central Michigan University, and previously worked at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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