A man who allegedly tried to take a laptop by pretending to have a gun Wednesday night got a surprise when the victim produced a real weapon.
The unarmed man eventually was taken into custody on suspicion of robbery.
Denver Police said the incident began before 7:30 p.m. when two men met in a parking lot at Evans Avenue and Broadway to arrange the sale of the laptop.
According to police, the seller thought he was being paid with counterfeit money. He confronted the buyer, who threatened him and simulated that he had a gun. That led the seller to produce his own weapon, for which police said he carries a permit, and to call 911.
While that was happening, police said, a homeless woman came upon the scene and intervened to try to prevent a shooting.
While the gun holder was being distracted by the woman, the suspect ran into a nearby restaurant, claiming to be the victim of a crime. Police arrived and identified the buyer, Earl May Jr., 31, as the suspect, and arrested him.
