Winthrop House Junior Mugged Saturday Night

An unidentified assailant threatened to shoot a Harvard student and ended up stealing his wallet outside Winthrop House early Sunday morning.

The thief escaped with several identification cards and approximately $12 in cash belonging to Ashley L. Hogewood III '87. No one was hurt during the incident, and no gun was actually produced.

Hogewood and his roommate Daniel J. De LaVega had left Elsie's for their Winthop House rooms shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday morning. They were initially accosted by a group of youths whom Hogewood believes were area high school students. The youths kicked a box at them and began to barrage them with verbal insults, according to Hogewood.

As Hogewood and De LaVega reached the Indoor Athletic Building, two gang members approached them and began to push them around. One swung at Hogewood, who ducked and ran.

While De LaVega was occupied with the two juveniles, Hogewood found his path blocked by a large Black male whom he said he recognized as being one of the original gang members.

Hogewood tried to run to Winthrop but was cut off by the assailant who said, "Don't make me shoot you." Hogewood gave him his wallet. The assailant never revealed a gun.

Hogewood describes his attacker as a Black male, approximately 16 years of age, six feet tall, wearing a red cap blue jeans, and a dark blue jacket.

Harvard police have no suspects at the present time, but Hogewood has been asked to come down to the station on Wednesday and look at potential photographs of the mugger.