[Mpls] "Be careful downtown"--local urban legend?

[Jeremy Brezovan]

Hi, all. I don't normally forward stuff that sounds like an urban legend (because it usually *is* an urban legend), but this sounds like it may actually have happened, bizarre and disturbing as it is. Has anyone else heard about people being attacked like this while downtown?   (The email as I originally received it had the address of a 3M employee attached to it--a friend of a friend that I don't know. I deleted it to protect the innocent, as it were.)   Curious,   Jeremy Brezovan Saint Anthony East   ----- Forwarded by [...] on 10/16/2003 01:22 PM -----   Just a warning to anyone who goes downtown!   This Saturday, October 11,  I was downtown Minneapolis with 6 friends when we were jumped on Hennepin Avenue --just around the corner from the Lone Tree Bar (a half block north of Block E).   As we walked down the well lit and crowded street two guys ran up behind Joe and Jeff and punched Jeff in the face and pushed Joe to the ground. They began kicking and punching Joe in the head and torso as he lay on the ground.  When I stepped in to help I was punched in the head by a third guy who was in the crowd that now surrounded the scene.   We did absolutely nothing to provoke this fight -- we were just walking to get pizza.  It came out of nowhere.   As soon as they got Joe's watch and wallet they took off --- and so did a whole crowd of onlookers.   I am convinced that the large group on onlookers (possibly 20) were part of the larger gang.  They made sure that no one could see what was happening to us and that if anyone came to the aid of the person on the ground, they stepped in to prevent it.   We quickly got the police (who were only a half block away), but while we were waiting we encountered two other guys with their girlfriends who had been attacked (but not robbed) by the same group just minutes before -- unfortunately those guys did not call the police or file a police report and unfortunately we could not identify anyone.   The three of us that were attacked are all in our low 30's and over 6'. I believe this is a well coordinated gang.  They clearly have so many people as part of the group that they are not intimidated by crowds.  I think the motivation was not robbery.  I think they just wanted to attack people. Luckily, we are all OK -- just a little sore, bruised, and bloodied. But I want everyone who goes downtown to be extremely careful. Don't assume that just because you are on a busy street with lots of people around that you are safe.   The eerie thing is that at the very spot where we were attacked was a poster for Chris Jenkins, the college student who disappeared last Halloween from the Lone Tree Bar.  I feel extremely grateful that we are all OK!!   Please just be extra careful when downtown and warn others -- it would be especially dangerous for anyone who had too much to drink.   Thanks, [...]