Atlanta police are seeking a pair of intruders who allegedly robbed two students Wednesday morning in a Midtown dormitory of the Savannah College of Art and Design.
The incident happened about 6 a.m. at the Spring House, an on-campus housing facility in the 1400 block of Spring Street NW in Midtown, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Someone knocked on a dorm room door. When one of the students opened the door a crack, a man forced his way inside.
“Once he was in the unit, he then grabbed one of the victims, put him in a choke hold, bound [the victim’s] hands, and then proceeded to steal some of the electronics,” Atlanta police Lt. Jeff Cantin told Channel 2.
The student’s roommate awoke and also was bound, police said. The first intruder was soon joined by a second, and the men took electronics, clothing and other items from the room.
After the pair left, their victims freed themselves and called police. The students were not injured.
Police described one suspect as a black male, about 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 180 to 200 pounds and in his late 20s or early 30s. He was wearing a blue zip-up hoodie and blue jeans.
The second suspect was described as a black male, about 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, weighing about 240 pounds and with a muscular build. He was possibly in his 30s and had a beard and a bald head or short haircut, and was wearing a black shirt.
Police also were seeking to determine how the intruders got past security.
Students told Channel 2 they were stunned.
“The Spring House is pretty much a fortified thing. I could barely get in there some days, and I go to school here,” SCAD student Michael Nash said. “For that to happen is just crazy.”
The school released a statement saying in part, “The safety and security of SCAD students, faculty and staff is of paramount importance to the university. SCAD employs a variety of vigorous security measures, including 24-hour on-site security guards and mandatory ID checks.”
An Atlanta police spokesman said Wednesday evening they would look into whether there was a connection between the SCAD robbery and an incident in a Georgia Tech dormitory July 1.
In the July incident, two intruders robbed a student at gunpoint in his room. One suspect was captured days later in an unrelated case and subsequently was charged with the Tech robbery. The other man was being sought.
Authorities theorized the pair followed students through open electronic gates into the North Avenue Apartments on Centennial Olympic Park Drive, made it up to the student’s room, pushed open an unlocked door and threatened to shoot him if he resisted. They took his laptop, cell phone, wallet and cash.
The robbery capped a two-week period of hold-ups around Tech, which is across Midtown from the SCAD campus.
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