On the night of Oct. 31, three men walking through Lot W, north of Grant Towers, were approached and attacked by three black men, according to the University Police’s online crime blotter.

Police said one of the attackers pulled a knife, and there was a brief struggle until one of the victims ran to a nearby call box and activated it. It is unknown if the attackers fled before or after the call box was activated.

One of the three suspects was described as a little over 6 feet tall, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. Another suspect was described as being 5-feet-7-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds and wearing a black jacket and black jeans. The other suspect has no description other than his race.

Lt. Todd Henert said he was unable to go in-depth as to how the case will be investigated. He said the descriptions of the attackers are vague and “[fit] the description of about several hundred people on or around the NIU campus.”

Henert, however, did say the attackers picked the location because it was relatively isolated and not well-lit.

“It’s obviously traveled, but it’s isolated,” Henert said. “You don’t have cars going by, a lot of people walking through there. It’s a very isolated location.”