A 20-year-old Dayton man suffered a head injury when he tried to stop a cellphone sale gone bad Friday afternoon.
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Ruslan "Russ" Saitov said his attacker was athletically built and told him he was just 16-years-old before he bolted from Saitov's car -- two iPhones in hand -- outside the Kroger on Smithville Road.
The robber set the meeting spot for the $400 sale of both phones via text messages through the popular LetGo app that is used to buy and sell items locally, according to a police report.
Saitov said the robber asked to inspect each phone and escaped from the passenger side.
"The guy was one of the first who asked to see the phones”, Saitov said. “As soon as he had both phones in his hands, he started booking it”.
According to the report, Saitov grabbed the suspect’s arm in an effort to stop him, but he was able to break free. The suspect also reportedly struck Saitov in the face and head several times before running through the parking lot.
He chased the robber and was able to catch up to him, but as they began tussling Saitov said someone in a car drove up to them and said he'd shoot if he didn't let go of the suspect.
Saitov returned to his vehicle and was transported to Miami Valley Hospital with a head injury and without the phones -- but with the assailant's phone. The suspect left his cell phone in the victim’s car, the report stated.
The suspect is described as a black male, between the ages of 20 to 25-years-old, approximately 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds.
He was wearing a white tank top, gray pants, and Jordan gym shoes.
The incident remains under investigation.
