A 19-year-old Denver high school student charged with several felonies in an alleged attempted robbery told arresting officers he was just joking around, according to court documents.
Elhadji Samba Dioum including menacing and theft in the Dec. 3 case that prompted a lockdown of East High School and prompted .
Authorities say Dioum showed a BB gun to a fellow student in the school’s parking lot and demanded money before fleeing.
“I need $10,” the student said Dioum told him, according to an arrest affidavit. “If you try to leave, I will shoot you.”
The student told investigators he summoned his peers to the area, at which point Dioum said he was just kidding and that it was a joke. Dioum then fled, the affidavit says.
“It was just a joke. The gun was just a toy,” Dioum told arresting officers, the affidavit says. “I didn’t even take the money.”
Dioum is being held at Denver’s downtown jail in lieu of bond, records show.
Prosecutors say a 17-year-old boy, whose identity was not released, was charged Thursday as a juvenile on suspicion of brining the BB gun to school. He was being held at the Gilliam Detention Center.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
