The victim of an overnight attempted robbery turned the tables on his alleged attacker, holding the would-be robber at gunpoint until police arrived, Atlanta police said Friday.
The incident happened shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday at the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark on Willoughby Way in northeast Atlanta.
Police spokesman Carlos Campos told the AJC that an officer responding to a report of shots fired was flagged down “and told there was a man nearby holding another at gunpoint on the ground.”
Campos said Khoi Manh Nguyen, 33, was holding Michael Lee Willis, 18, at gunpoint.
“Nguyen was ordered to put his gun down, and did so with full compliance,” Campos said.
He said that based on witness statements and the preliminary investigation, “it appears Nguyen responded to an ad on Craigslist offering an iPhone 5 for sale. The men agreed to meet in the park for the transaction.”
During the meeting, Willis pointed a .380-caliber pistol at Nguyen and demanded his money, cell phone and other belongings.
“Nguyen, who had been forced back into his vehicle by Willis, was able to retrieve a .45-caliber pistol and chased Willis,” Campos said.
“Nguyen fired the weapon, ordering Willis to drop the gun and get on the ground,” Campos said.
After Nguyen fired a second round, Wiliis complied, and Nguyen held Willis until officers arrived and took Willis into custody.
Willis was charged with armed robbery and taken to the Fulton County Jail.
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