Two men assaulted two Raleigh residents in Pullen Park Monday night before stealing a car from one of the men, according to Jim Sughrue, director of public affairs for the Raleigh Police Department.
The victims, Donald Fonville, 57, and James Gause, 48, were standing in the parking lot near the park’s tennis courts when the suspects, one of whom was reportedly armed, approached and attacked Fonville and Gause just before 10 p.m.
At least one shot was fired during the robbery, but nobody was hit, according to a report released Tuesday afternoon by the RPD.
The suspects, described as black males dressed in black jeans and hoodies, pistol whipped the victims and stole a 2005 Toyota Camry from one of them. Police recovered the stolen vehicle in a parking lot near Central Prison shortly after.
Fonville walked to the BP gas station and convenience store located at the corner of Western Boulevard and Ashe Avenue, where he asked 21-year-old employee Abdullah Momand to call 911.
Neither victims have connections to N.C. State, but Campus Police released a WolfAlert at about 11 p.m. to warn the student body of the crime.
Both victims were treated and released from Rex Hospital.
Fonvilee declined to comment about the robbery.
The case remains under investigation by the Raleigh Police Department. Anyone with information that might assist detectives is asked to either call Raleigh CrimeStoppers at (919) 834-HELP or to go to the CrimeStoppers Website, www.raleighcrimestoppers.org, for instructions on how to report a tip online or by text message. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for anonymous tips that help solve cases.
