Borough Police are on heightened alert after receiving a tip regarding the possibility of gang-related violence in the area.
Princeton High School was put on lockdown Nov. 1, due to suspicions of possible retribution aimed at a student, Borough Police reported.
Officers also discovered a loaded handgun and drugs in a car when they stopped two Princeton residents on University Place because of a suspended license plate.
And on Oct. 29, police broke up a fistfight that started when two individuals tried setting their pit bulls on two victims. One victim was struck on the head with a blunt object and remains in the hospital, Borough Police Lt. Dennis McManimon said.
Though a witness overheard the attackers use gang terminology, neither individual claimed to be a member of a gang, McManimon said.
He added that none of the possible gang-related activity is in any way connected with the University.
Lt. Duncan Harrison of Public Safety said University students should not be overly concerned.
Borough Police had a similar opinion. "It's not a situation where we have violence around campus. I don't think students have a lot to worry about," McManimon said.
However, he cautioned students to be careful of whom they allow into the eating clubs.
Despite the arrests, McManimon said there is no evidence of the presence of actual gangs.
"While kids may be enamored with [gang-related activities], they are not actually gang members," McManimon said. "We haven't identified any gang members in town."
"These kids that we've experienced problems with . . . are copying some of the gang signage without understanding what they're getting involved with," he added.
He explained that Princeton is not known to be home to gang members.
"We've had in the past some people who lived in town who were members of Latino gangs, like [the] Latin Kings. They lived here, but we didn't think they were doing gang-related activities in town," he said.
Harrison advised students to take normal precautions as described on Public Safety's website, such as being aware of one's surroundings, looking confident and leaving uncomfortable situations.
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