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Cambridge Residents Warned After Violent Robbery

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Cambridge police are warning residents of the Riverside neighborhood near Harvard University to be on alert following an especially violent attack on Banks Street early Wednesday morning.

"We're very concerned because of the nature of this attack," said Deputy Superintendent of Police Paul Ames. "It was a violent attack. That's why we're concerned."

Around 1:20 a.m., a female graduate student in her 20s stepped off a Harvard Shuttle Bus to walk the final few blocks to her home. Along the way, she was attacked and robbed of her purse.

"The attacker violently threw her to the ground with enough force to fracture her elbow and knock her unconscious," Ames said. "It happened so quickly, and violently, that she really had no time to react."

The university sent out a warning e-mail to the student body.

"I'll definitely be a lot more careful about walking around at night, especially really late," said another female grad student who received that e-mail.

Police say the victim was smart to take the shuttle bus rather than walk alone at night. But they add that once the woman started walking, she put in her earphones and started talking on the phone.

Ames says that likely means the attacker took his victim by complete surprise. He also described this as a "crime of opportunity" in which the suspect may have seen a distracted woman and decided to take advantage of the situation.

The young woman needed surgery and was hospitalized overnight.

According to Cambridge Police statistics, violent street crime is down 48% compared to this time last year -- and down an estimated 57% from the five year average. That is part of the reason why authorities are so concerned about this attack.

Cambridge Police want anyone with information about the attack to contact them.

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