Authorities say a man displayed a gun and stole a woman’s cell phone Monday as she walked in downtown Salisbury.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m., near the intersection of West Fisher and Church streets, officials said.
The woman walked by the man, who was headed from the area of the Rowan Public Library. He asked the woman if she lived in the area and she stopped, thinking he was a former student, the report said.
He followed the woman, and she thought the man was developmentally challenged, a report said.
He walked up to her, lifted his shirt to show a black handgun in his waistband and demanded her cell phone. She gave it to him. He did not ask for anything else, said Police Capt. Shelia Lingle.
He is described as a black male, skinny, between 5 foot 7 inches tall and 5 foot 9 inches tall, in his late teens to mid-20s. He had dreadlocks that the victim believed were pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing a red T-shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.