MACOMB, Ill. (NEWS3) — WIU Interim President Martin Abraham released a statement to students, faculty and staff following an announcement of arrests in connection to the “brawl” that happened early Sunday morning near campus.
Earlier on Friday, the Macomb Police Department announced the arrest of four men involved in the “brawl” on the 600 block of West Adams St. The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The four suspects were not WIU students, but Abraham thanked law enforcement officials and those who came forward to help the investigation.
“Dear WIU Community,
I would like to thank those individuals who came forward to provide information regarding, as well as our area law enforcement agencies for their work investigating, the Feb. 2 off-campus incident. Their diligence led to the arrests of four non-students on a variety of charges, including aggravated assault and reckless driving. According to a statement released by the Macomb Police Department earlier today, the Feb. 2 case does not appear to be race-related, nor have implications of a hate-related crime. It is important that we allow law enforcement officials to fully investigate reports before making assumptions and releasing inaccurate information.
Ensuring the safety of our WIU community is a priority, and it takes all of us working together to ensure a secure environment. I want to remind our University community to report incidents immediately to police. Again, it takes all of us working together, and if you see something, say something. If you wish to remain anonymous, there are reporting mechanisms in place through the McDonough County Crime Stoppers (800-222-TIPS and 309-836-2222).
If you have information regarding specific situations or concerns, contact OPS or MPD at (309)298-1949 or (309) 833-4505, respectively. Please look out for one another.”
