One of the victims was attacked just steps away from his West Ridge apartment. Syed Mazadahir Ali can barely walk on his own on Sunday as he recovers.
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"This is something I cannot forget. He was holding a gun on me, and two more on my head. This, and one more here," Ali said.
Part of that attack was caught on a neighbor's surveillance camera.
Man tries to escape from armed thieves who later attack, rob him: VIDEO
Ali's roommates said they noticed a black sedan circling their block around 1 a.m. before the robbery happened.
"They pulled up next to my car, because when they made their first two rounds, they saw me sitting in the car with my lights on, so I was an easy target for them, but I hid in the backseat," said Aladduin, Ali's cousin.
The offenders then moved on down the street. Video shows see three of them jump out of the windows of that sedan and hide behind a parked vehicle, waiting for a victim.
That's when Ali was walking home. You can see him try to run away after noticing the suspects.
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"There were punches on my eye, and they were hitting me with their legs on my face, on my ribs, on my back," Ali said.
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The robbers took his cellphone and wallet before fleeing the scene, police said. Ali was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where he was treated for several cuts and bruises.
He is an international student at a nearby university, and moved here just six months ago. He said this is something he never imagined happening to him.
"America is my dream country. I came here to fulfill my dreams and do my master's, but yesterday's incident gave me trauma," Ali said.
About an hour after Ali's attack, police said, another armed robbery happened nearby.
Three men armed with guns got out of a blue sedan and forced a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman out of their car parked car in the 7400 block of North Campbell Avenue.
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The armed robbers hit and kicked the man before taking the victims' cell phones and wallets, police said. The man refused medical attention from EMS.
The robberies are a growing concern many people on that block mentioned to ABC7 on Sunday, and Ali and his roommates are all fed up as they say they came here to live out a dream as international students.
But to them, it's been more of a nightmare instead.
"Sometimes, I feel I should discontinue my master's and go back to my home country. Thinking about it and seeing such incidents, there is no proper security over here," said Abdul Wahab Mohammed, Ali's cousin.
Police do not have anyone in custody at this time as the investigation continues.
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