A night of teens hanging out, talking and eating near a park in St. Paul turned to horror early Tuesday when police say young men approached, robbed them at gunpoint and raped two 18-year-olds.

The sexual assaults in a parking lot by Raspberry Island set off a manhunt that led police to the suspects after another armed robbery in West St. Paul about four hours later. Police arrested four males, ages 16 to 20.

“The idea that we are here today talking about people who would prey on our youth of our city in such a personal way is unconscionable,” said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman, at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. “This is a disgusting crime and we as a police department will do everything we can to make sure that these suspects are held accountable.”

The robbery happened when the young women were in a parking lot near the Mississippi Riverside park, across from downtown St. Paul. They were with friends, two boys ages 15 and 16.

“It was just a spot to go sit” on a mild evening, Ernster said.

Police were called about 2 a.m. Tuesday and told that four young men had approached the group. One pointed a gun at them and demanded they get on the ground and hand over their valuables, police said. The four did, and then the suspects forced the two women into a nearby vehicle that belonged to one of the victims, police said.

One or more of the suspects sexually assaulted the women, while the suspects forced the two boys to stay on the ground, Ernster said.

The suspects ran away afterward.

The women were taken to Regions Hospital and a search for the suspects began immediately, Ernster said.

One of the boys who was robbed recognized one of the suspects, so officers had something to go on. But police believe that the suspects just happened upon the group.

While uncooperative witnesses have stymied some recent cases, particularly shootings, police said the opposite was true Tuesday. Officers canvassed the area and “thankfully, citizens who were … in the area provided crucial information to the officers that led to suspects being identified in this incident,” Ernster said.

WEST ST. PAUL ROBBERY LEADS TO SUSPECTS

The West St. Paul robbery that led to the arrests occurred about 6:25 a.m. Tuesday. Officers were called to a SuperAmerica store at 1285 Robert St. on a report of a man who was robbed at gunpoint at Logan and Livingston avenues, which is near the gas station.

An officer spotted four young men walking about three blocks from the station. One ran off when he saw police and officers took three into custody, according to Bud Shaver, West St. Paul police chief.

West St. Paul police notified their St. Paul counterparts that the robbery suspects matched the descriptions of the people involved in the Raspberry Island case, Ernster said.

Investigators questioned the three young men and learned the fourth might be at a house in the 1200 block of Charlton Street in West St. Paul.

Heritage E-STEM Magnet Middle School and Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School were put on temporary lockdown as police arrested the suspect at the Charlton Street home. He was taken into custody without incident, Shaver said.

Those under arrest are a 16-year-old male whose name was not given; Deandray Artez Easley, 18; Vershone Jaquay Hodges, 20; and Devontre J. Vann, 19. Vann’s first name was spelled Devonte in a Ramsey County jail log.

They had not been charged by Wednesday. Police believe all the suspects are in custody, but said the investigation continues.

Police press conference on Raspberry Island rape and robbery. https://t.co/8KrFIbkX2Z — Mara Gottfried (@MaraGottfried) June 6, 2017

REPORTS OF RAPES UP IN ST. PAUL

There were 87 rapes reported in St. Paul as of the end of May, compared with 70 during the same period last year, according to preliminary information from the police department.

Ernster said the circumstances of Tuesday’s case did not immediately bring to mind other recent incidents. But he said investigators always look into whether there could be connections between cases.

About 90 percent of rapes are committed by someone known to a victim, even if it’s a brief acquaintance, said Jeanne Ronayne, executive director of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

“Stranger sexual assaults are really the exception more than the rule,” she said. “… If we focus on keeping ourselves safe around strangers and fearful of strangers, whether it’s our children or teenagers, we can miss the mark.”

Under any circumstances, sexual assaults are traumatic crimes that are not about sex, but are “a crime of violence and a crime of power over another person,” Ronayne said.