University police are looking for six suspects who allegedly robbed three UCLA students early Saturday morning on Ophir Drive.
One of the victims, fourth-year philosophy student Fred Hatef, said he was returning from a friend’s house with two fellow UCLA students around 2:15 a.m. when they were stopped by the suspects.
The group, who Hatef described as in their late teens, appeared to be returning from a party, he said.
As the groups passed one another, Hatef said he noticed the men in the group eyeing them, and he thought briefly to call the university police.
“I just thought they were students who were really drunk,” Hatef said. “That if we walked past them, they would leave us alone.”
The group, composed of four men and two women, began following Hatef and his friends.
“They were trying to get me to look at them so I would stop, but I didn’t make eye contact,” he said.
Hatef said the group then stopped the UCLA students, demanding they hand over their wallets. Hatef reacted by yelling as loud as he could but stopped when one of the suspects struck him in the face, fracturing both his nose and a second bone under his eye.
Hatef and his friends gave two wallets and a cellphone to the suspects, who fled on foot to a gray car with a spoiler on the back.
Hatef said he should have been more careful and should not have just assumed the suspects to be UCLA partygoers.
The male suspects are described as four Hispanic males between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 9 inches, of either thin or medium build.
The two female suspects were described as being between 18- to 20-years-old. One of the female suspects was wearing a black dress and black shoes. No description is available for the second woman.
Considering the time and place where the robbery occurred, it is possible the suspects were returning from a party in the North Village when they encountered Hatef’s group, said UCPD detective Harry Standberry.
While UCPD does not believe the suspects are UCLA students, it is likely they have a connection to students living in the area, Standberry said.
Standberry said none of the suspects have been apprehended but added the investigation is still in progress. He said sketches of the suspects should be available soon.
If any students saw a group matching the description of the suspects or have other information related to the incident, they should contact UCPD at 310-825-1491.