Police: Man Robbed in Rosslyn While Trying to Sell Phones

An Arlington County man was robbed of two cell phones and about $40 in cash Sunday evening in Rosslyn, according to police.

The victim placed an ad online trying to sell his two old phones, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told Patch.

A potential buyer contacted him and the two met in a parking lot at about 6 p.m. Sunday in the 1700 block of North Wilson Boulevard. That's the block just past Rhodes Street, where the Courthouse community becomes Rosslyn, and is home to the Colonial Village Shopping Center.

Upon meeting, the would-be buyer asked to see the phones, Sternbeck said.

"The victim handed them over, and then the subject punches the guy in the stomach and takes off on foot," he said.

Police are sometimes able to use GPS technology to track stolen phones, though that doesn't always work — it's not possible if the phones are turned off, for instance.

The victim did not require medical attention, Sternbeck said.

He told police that his attacker was in his 20s, about 6-foot-4 and had a slim build. He had tattoos on his arms and neck and was wearing a brown shirt and grey camouflage cargo shorts at the time of the incident.