24-year-old arrested after alleged robbery

Published 9:48 am Monday, June 14, 2010

An Austin man was arrested early Sunday after allegedly trying to rob two teenagers who were sitting in a parked car.

The 24-year-old suspect is in the Mower County jail and awaiting formal charges.

According to a police report, the incident occurred at around 12:45 a.m. in the 700 block of Fifth Avenue Northwest. The suspect allegedly came up to the driver’s side window and began talking to one of the teenagers, asking him if he had ever been robbed.

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The suspect then told the teenager he was getting robbed and punched him twice in the nose, the report states. The teenager emptied his pockets but had no money, which allegedly angered the suspect, who punched the teenager in the face again.

The other teenager, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, refused to cooperate with the suspect, the report states. Both teenagers then left the vehicle and fled, with the suspect chasing them.

Sometime while this was happening, a call was made to the Austin Police Department. It is unclear who called police, but an officer was able to apprehend the suspect without incident about a block away.

The two teenagers positively identified the man, the report states, and the teenager who had been punched was able to recover the items from his pocket, which had been left at the scene.

After the arrest, the suspect allegedly began complaining of chest pain, so he was taken to the Austin Medical Center. There, he acted belligerent toward officers, the report states, at times spitting at them. He was then taken back to jail.

The suspect was apparently drunk during the incident, the report states.