Two Binghamton University students were robbed at gunpoint last Thursday evening on their way back home from Downtown Binghamton.

The female, a sophomore, and the male, a junior, were walking along Main Street near Chapin Street at approximately 2:30 a.m. when the assailant cornered them in an alley and pulled out a gun.

“He pointed the gun at us and told us not to move,” the female said, “then he told us to give him our money. The whole incident didn’t even register until later. It all happened so fast.”

After the male handed over his wallet — which contained about $30, a credit card and his identification — the armed man fled the scene, leaving the two students shaken but unscathed.

The suspect was described as being a black male in his 20s, approximately 5-foot-10 in height and with short braids or dreadlocks.

The victims, who wished to remain anonymous, called 911, and Binghamton city police arrived on the scene several minutes later.

Police said that there were two eye witnesses, but wouldn’t release any information about them. One witness said she thought she recognized the person who had robbed the couple, the female victim said. The witness said the suspect goes by the name “Hustle,” and gave the address of Hustle’s girlfriend — around the corner from where the incident took place.

The witness said that they were taken to the apartment, where police had a man surrounded outside. However, neither of the victims could positively identify the man as the suspect.

“People forget that it’s not a safe neighborhood,” the female victim said. “After this, I never want to walk anywhere down there again.”

She warned other students against walking alone if they can help it, suggesting as well that sometimes it’s worth it to spring for a few bucks and take a taxi.

Jarring as the robbery may have been for the victims, and despite the fact that chances of an arrest are slim, a Binghamton Police Bureau spokesman said incidents like it are rare.

“Things like this don’t happen very often,” said Captain Alex Minor. “But like in any city, bad things will happen some of the time.”