A 19-year-old man delivering political fliers near Green Lake on Monday afternoon told police he narrowly averted a stickup by hitting the would-be robber with his only weapon at hand – a bag of brochures.
The victim told police he was delivering political fliers to homes near North 60th Street and Kensington Place North when three men wearing all-black clothing stopped him on the sidewalk. One of the suspects said he had a gun and ordered the victim to hand over his belongings. Instead, the victim swung his bag of fliers at the suspect and hit him in the head. The victim said he then punched the man and took off running down 60th Street. Glancing back in his sprint to safety, the victim saw two of the suspects helping the third off the ground. They did not pursue him.
The victim ran several blocks to his car and reported the incident to police. Officers accompanied him back to the scene to collect fliers were scattered on the sidewalk. His bag was in the bushes. Police searched the area but the suspects had fled.