Tom Wedig was walking to his girlfriend’s house late Monday night
when he was attacked by three men.
“I was
walking down the [Fredonia Avenue] alley when I heard running behind
me,” he said. “I turned around and knew what was going on.”
Wedig’s
first reaction, he said, was to get defensive. That’s when he saw the
second man.
“The second guy came up and punched
me in my throat,” he said. “That’s when I ran to Sigma Chi … and called
the police. It was fight then flight.”
The men never asked for money and Wedig informed
them right off the bat he had nothing to give them, so the incident is
legally classified as a battery.
Peoria and
University police arrived on the scene within minutes of the 911 call.
The area was searched with negative results.
According
to police reports, there were actually three men, though Wedig never
saw the third. The third was seen by witnesses and security camera
footage. All were dressed in blue shirts and jeans.
Possibly
the most alarming part of the incident was the number of people who saw
the men loitering, approaching cars, approaching groups of people and
walking around the greek houses, all without calling police.
A
few said they saw the men start to approach them, but then backed off
when they realized it was a group of people. Others saw the men walking
on Fredonia, all before the altercation with Wedig.
“People
should call whenever something just doesn’t feel right,” said Dave
Baer, University Police chief.
Anyone who sees a
suspicious person can call either (309)677.2000, which is routed
directly to BUPD dispatchers, or 911.
After
what happened Tuesday, Wedig too said he believes people need to speak
up when they feel something’s suspicious.
“If
they see suspicious people, just keep an open eye,” he said. “Tell
people you see that there are [strange] people walking down an alley.
Just let someone know.”
Thankfully, Wedig
didn’t need medical attention.
That doesn’t
mean the BUPD isn’t taking the incident seriously.
On
Thursday, Baer met with a few greek leaders to inform them university
police will be starting more patrols out in the neighborhood surrounding
Fredonia.
“We’re going to treat it as a sort
of mini-district,” Baer said. “It’s something we’ve done in the pass,
and it was successful.”
In the meantime,
though, Theta Chi, which Wedig is the president of, purchased pepper
spray and is selling it to students at a wholesale price.
