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Posted on Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 11:38 a.m.

Man robbed twice in 5 minutes by same man in Ann Arbor

By Lee Higgins

A man reported he was robbed twice in about five minutes early Sunday by the same man, Ann Arbor police spokeswoman Lt. Renee Bush said.

Police said the 23-year-old victim from Whitmore Lake was in the 400 block of East Madison Street when he took money out of his pocket and a man grabbed it about 3:15 a.m., police said.

The victim got on a bicycle and pursued the man, catching up with him near the intersection of Hill and South Division streets, police said. That's when the man stole the victim's wallet, Bush said, and ran away. So far, no arrests have been made.

The victim told police he was going to the store.

The robber was described as black, 6 feet tall, in his mid-20s, with short dreadlocks. He was wearing a dark-colored shirt, police said.

Anyone with information can call the police department's tip line at (734) 794-6939.

Comments

Tru2Blu76

Wed, Jul 27, 2011 : 6:23 a.m.

Rob me once, I'll shoot you. Rob me twice: I'll shoot you again. (For the third, fourth, fifth robberies, I carry spare magazines for my Glock.) At some point, I will run out of robbers to shoot. ;-)

Gabe Haber

Wed, Jul 27, 2011 : 3:19 a.m.

"rob me once shame on you...rob me twice shame on me"

The Truth

Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 9:33 p.m.

Time to go home, pop open a cold one and consider it a learning experience.

RJA

Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 2:55 p.m.

I think I would have gone to the store before 11 p.m. certainly not 3:15 a.m. I don't need to shop for anything at that time of the morning. (but then who knows what he needed to buy).

quetzalcoatl

Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 3:18 a.m.

Wake up people! The poor guy was on his bike because his car wouldn't start because his grandmother died and anyway the sofa was on fire when he lay down on it and that's his story and by gum, he's sticking to it. So there.

Mike

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 9:48 p.m.

I tell my kids "nothing good ever happens after midnight" and I'm usually right ;-)

tim

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 9:32 p.m.

Maybe they need to offer "street smarts" courses in our local schools.

MyOpinion

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 9:18 p.m.

Where are all the comments that say (a)What was he doing out at that time of night?; (b)Folks need to be traveling in pairs; (c)Take a self-defense course so that you can protect yourself

EyeHeartA2

Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 2:56 a.m.

OK, so you have 2 people soft peddling a general "be smart and don't put yourself in a bad situation" a far cry from "What are they doing out that time of night" and today we have 3 people doing the same. Seems about neck and neck. No boogie man. Move along. Nothing more to see here. By the way, three comments up, somebody suggested a ccw and the comment under this one, somebody suggested people need to be smarter. so....yup

MyOpinion

Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:58 a.m.

I am not going to go back to all the "woman attacked while out at night" stories. But, in the most recent rape story with almost 200 comments, there are two comments within the first 25 that say: Sad to say but I think ALL women should be walking with a friend or male at all times downtown A2 until he is caught. I surely will not be down there anytime soon. I agree with Ms. German- the best advice is that women should not walk alone downtown. Go with friends. Don't get on elevators with men you don't know. These kinds of criminals are opportunists- deny them the opportunity. Recall that a good many of the comments were about the (a)police layoffs; ( b)the police layoffs; (c)why isn't Hiefje commenting; (d) carry a gun/MACE for protection

EyeHeartA2

Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:29 a.m.

Since you are the one who decided to split hairs, perhaps you can show us the link that say exactly: "she should not be out at that time of night alone" In AA.com ......... Because it doesn't exist.

MyOpinion

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 11:29 p.m.

Nothing good after midnight is a far cry from "I'm sorry, but she should not be out at that time of night alone." The other comments are in reference to chasing the thief and getting robbed again. Not to being robbed in the first place while being out alone at 3am.

EyeHeartA2

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.

aaaahhhh lessee? There are two "nothing good happens after midnight" and one "what was he thinking would happen when he caught him" out of 30 for ummm lemme see 3 goosinta 30 umm carry the 1 umm yep, here it is: 10% of the comments Happy now?

alarictoo

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:46 p.m.

@A2_Wookie would have just ripped his arms off and beaten him with them. ;^)

newsboy

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 7:44 p.m.

Extra! Extra! Bob Marley robs drunken cyclist!

Wolf's Bane

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 6:51 p.m.

Surprised the attacker didn't take the victims bicycle. Was/is the victim handicapped?

Roy Munson

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 5:25 p.m.

Someone had to chase the guy. The police sure can't do it. Not with that ridiculous NO CHASE policy.

A2comments

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:03 p.m.

The bicycle did not hit the high speeds that the Ann Arbor rule tries to avoid. Also, the bicyclist was screaming "wee-woo, wee-woo, wee-woo" so that follows the "utilize a siren at all times" rule.

nowayjose

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 5:34 p.m.

That only applies to vehicle chases. Not foot chases

Michigan Man

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 5:16 p.m.

As I have suggested before, concealed carry in Ann Arbor would take cqre of this community nuisance quite well.

Ricebrnr

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 11:40 p.m.

Oy! the complete lack of gun knowledge, misinformation and downright falsehoods.

Brad

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 10:01 p.m.

Then the headline would be "man shot twice in 5 minutes with his own gun and then beaten with a bicycle".

johnnya2

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.

Yeah, because then the victim would be killed. Sounds like a great solution. There are too many holes in this story to take at face value. Why is he taking money out of his pocket at 3:15 am on the 400 block of East Madison? What store was he going to? Why does a guy from Whitmore Lake have his bike in A2 at 3:15 am? Early jump on Sunday brunch? This does not pass the smell test

alarictoo

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:45 p.m.

@Steve - Spoken like someone who has never been robbed at gunpoint, sir. Take my word, it is not a situation that you ever have a desire to repeat. That barrel pointed in your face looks like a huge black tunnel even if it's only a .38. And you aren't even thinking about the spectre of heart disease at that point. ;^) However, I agree with your premise that, in this circumstance, deadly force was neither warranted nor justified.

Steve

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 7:06 p.m.

What a wonderfully simple solution. The solution to everything it seems. Take a step back and ask why a few times. Why do people steal? Is it really that they enjoy it? Or that is just how some people are? It always involves money and their relative lack of it. Trace problems back further and then ask yourself are guns making things better for you or anyone else? What a selfish, short sighted view of the world. Take any idea and see what happens at the extremes. If every single citizen carried a gun, we would have people dying over bikes, parking spots and looking at the wrong guy's lady. We are far less rational animals than we like to think. Firearms should only be used by highly trained individuals for hunting, SWAT members and the military. And yes, I own multiple firearms but not a single pistol because I have no intention of ever shooting at a human, even if they want my bike. You are more likely to die from heart disease than armed robbery, but of course that doesn't keep us up at night. You are more likely to lose your savings from bankers on Wall Street or inflation but that is gradual. We fear the immediate, traumatic events we see in movies. High temperatures kill more Americans than any other weather event. What do we fear? Tornadoes, earthquakes and floods. We are fearful, irrational beings and we need to make it harder to kill others, not easier.

Lovaduck

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 5:51 p.m.

You can't just take a human life with no consequences just 'cause someone stole your wallet even in concealed carry states!

EyeHeartA2

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:40 p.m.

I just hope he was following all traffic laws, had a light and a helmet. You just can't be too careful.

treetowncartel

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:35 p.m.

Actually, this time of day is when the majority of sunglasses transactions take place.

Craig Lounsbury

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:56 p.m.

Its better to be proactive with sunglasses and air conditioners. Once the sun comes up everybody wants them. Then they are hard to find.

John A2

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:20 p.m.

This sounds too far fetched to be real, but that would be hard to make up too. Well if he worked here delivering maybe, but did he ride his bike all the way to a2? Again too much info left out of the story to get a clear picture of the crime. What is easy to see is that he maybe approached someone and asked for drugs, and the man he approached took off with the money. That sounds more acceptable, and that is why he chased him down. He had money in his hand, why? There is no store on the 400 block of Madison. It sounds like he was trying to get drugs because the beer store where closed, and he got taken from a would be drug dealer. I don't think thats illegal in Washtenaw County.

foobar417

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.

If this was California and he'd chased after him and let the thief steal his bicycle, then it could have been a good strategy to bust him under the 3 strikes law.

Craig Lounsbury

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:03 p.m.

If it was me I wouldn't have even called the police. The public humiliation at the hands of the the A2.com lads wouldn't be worth it. ;) having said that allow me to dust off the "nothing good happens after midnight" quote.

alarictoo

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:40 p.m.

Yeah.. One more chase and the perp would have stolen the bike. ;^)

Tom Teague

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 7:38 p.m.

Actually, I'd say that the victim was a fast learner: note that he didn't chase the perp a second time.

djm12652

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4 p.m.

Question 1. Did the victim use his own bicycle? That's a long ride from Whitmore Lake to the 400 block of East Madison... Question 2. What store was he going to at that location? And is there security cameras at this store?

Craig Lounsbury

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 3:57 p.m.

this could develop in to a pretty nice comment section.

aawolve

Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 3:57 p.m.

Lack of foresight, like a dog chasing a car.