The beatdowns took place during 3 and 4 AM on Saturday night.
The targets were random and attacked for no apparent reason.
There have been 45 similar assaults near campus since October 1st.
ABC7 reported:
The ABC7 I-Team is reporting a rash of random attacks near the University of Illinois flagship campus. A safety alert for students was posted after Champaign police say five students were jumped and beaten by a roving gang over the weekend.
One-by-one early Saturday morning, a gang of men attacked several people as they walked down streets near the U of I campus. For about an hour, the gang roamed a small section of Champaign and police say they targeted random victims, beating them to the ground, in what resembles a big city gang ritual.
The beat-downs took place between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Saturday, with five victims at four different locations near the U of I campus.
Even though it was overnight, the attacks took place on residential streets and there were witnesses.
Police say a group of six to eight men battered innocent victims as they walked on these streets. The targets were random and they were attacked for no apparent reason, according to police, thrown to ground and kicked in the head and body.
Some victims told police the attackers had jumped from vehicles; a cell phone was stolen. There were no life-threatening injuries, but three people were treated for facial wounds, cuts and bruises.
