Towson student stabbed, robbed of cellphone

Police search for 3 young men after incident on Burke Avenue

TOWSON, Md. —Towson University police are looking for three men after a commuter student was robbed and stabbed late Sunday night.
Police were called to Burke Avenue near Center Avenue around 10:45 p.m. Sunday after a woman was flagged down by the 24-year-old victim, who was suffering from several stab wounds to the upper torso. Detectives said the student was robbed of his cellphone by three young black men and that one of those robbers stabbed him.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Sources told 11 News he was listed in critical condition.

Police said the robbers ran westbound on Burke Avenue. They searched the area but weren't able to locate anyone suspicious.

Police said the victim lost consciousness, so they weren't able to get a detailed description of the attackers.

The incident was a wake-up call resident Kellie Bates won't forget.

"The ambulance was right here, and when they went to lift the man to put him in the ambulance is when he was screaming about how much pain he was in," Bates said.

Right outside her home at the corner of Burke and Center avenues -- four blocks from the Towson University campus -- Bates said she witnessed the aftermath of what police described as a vicious armed robbery and attack on the student in a neighborhood Bates said is usually considered safe.

This year, the Baltimore metro area has seen a spike in robberies and attacks where smartphones were taken.

A police representative said the victim was so seriously injured that he's having difficulty talking, so they are not sure if the attack was smartphone-motivated.

"He did tell us that he had been attacked by three thin black males. That's really the only thing we were able to get from him," Baltimore County police spokeswoman Elise Armacost said.

Either way, the attack has shaken students who often walk to and from classes along Burke Avenue.

"It's just been a little different this semester. It's pretty quiet over here normally," student Danielle Williams said. "Pretty much like every week there's a robbery around here ... on this street."

Students and faculty at the university were notified of the incident via a crime alert.

Anyone who witnessed the stabbing or has information on the culprits is urged to call Baltimore County police at 410-887-2361.