Anderson park has 4 violent robberies

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) - A series of robberies at an Anderson park have police investigating and stepping up its presence in the area.

Anderson Police Department officials said robberies were reported on Aug. 25, Sept. 19, Sept. 20 and Sept. 27. All of the incidents were violent but involved different acts of force.

The incidents happened at Shadyside Park, on the north side of Anderson. In one incident victim Daniel Walters was struck in the back of the head and money was stolen.

"They took me by ambulance because I couldn’t stand up from the concussion I suffered," said Walters.

Walters says he was walking along a trail in Shadyside Park just before 10 a.m. He had just gotten paid and had a pocket full of money.

He says a man sitting on a park bench asked him for $5. Walters said he didn’t have it.

"He had one of those fancy looking pool cue walking sticks. I walked past him and next thing I know I get hit in the head and all my money is gone," said Walters.

In another incident, a man was forced into a vehicle at gunpoint and robbed of cash. One attack involved a robbery at knife point and another the victim was pushed to the ground so the suspect could take a bicycle.

Victims have described the attackers as:

• One white man about 19 or 20 years old who is between 5-foot-2 and 5-foot-4 with blonde hair and a thin build. He was with a black man about 18 to 20 years old who was around 6-foot-2 and 185-200 pounds.
• A white man in his 30s who is about 6-foot with a husky build.
• A white man in his 20s with black and white plaid shorts and a V-neck T-shirt. He had blue eyes, brown hair and a left arm tattoo sleeve.
• A white man in his 20s who is about 6-foot and between 190 and 210 pounds. He had brown hair and was only wearing black jeans.

Anderson Police will be monitoring cameras in the area for suspicious activity. Police are adding extra patrols that will include undercover officers.

"Police are going to have a huge presence out here and some of the people you run into are going to be the police and you may not know it." said Anderson Police Detective Joel Sandefur.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.