Thugs threaten to shoot students

These men were photographed leaving Southern Cross University’s Orion College in Ross Street about 6.30pm last Friday.

TWO masked men went on a rampage last Friday, terrorising students at Southern Cross University’s Orion College before holding up a Wyrallah Road bottle shop.

Police are appealing for information about the men who threatened staff with a builder’s hammer at Cellarbrations Bottle Shop in Wyrallah Road, East Lismore, about 7.30pm, before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash and alcohol.

They escaped in a stolen silver Hyundai Excel sedan that was found abandoned in Ballina yesterday afternoon.

It is believed they are the same two men who were observed around 6.30pm, breaking into students’ cars with hammers and acting strangely at Orion College in Ross Street, Lismore.

While rummaging through one student’s vehicle, one of the men let out a loud yell that alerted students.

“It was completely weird,” said one student who asked to remain anonymous.

“It was humid and they were wrapped up in hoodies and gloves and sunnies. One guy had a towel around his head, and they were breaking into cars by smashing the windows with hammers.

“About 30 or 40 students came out to look and when we got within 30 metres one said: “If you take another step closer I’ll put a bullet in your stomach’.”

“Everyone was like, yeah, sure dude, just keep smashing cars, we’re not following anyone,” another student told The Northern Star.

“We were convinced they were on ice or something. It was broad daylight and 250 people live here.”

One man was wearing a black hooded jacket with gold coloured cannabis leafs printed over it and long dark pants. The other was wearing a dark coloured hooded jacket with stripes down the arm and a white shirt or singlet and long dark pants.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.