Robbery victim gets drop on gunman

PHILADELPHIA, June 20 (UPI) -- A robber in Philadelphia could be rethinking his choice of victims after police said he scuffled with one standing 6-foot-7 and weighing close to 300 pounds.

"I guess he felt like he had the upper hand because he had a gun," shrugged Charles Alston, 44, longtime pal of actor Will Smith. "He was wrong," the Philadelphia Daily News reported Alston as saying.

The robbery attempt happened shortly after midnight Saturday morning at a Sunoco A-Plus mini-market where Alston, a movie producer and hip-hop recording manager, pulled his BMW in for gas.

"This dude runs up and puts a gun in my stomach. I'm looking at him, and he's feeling in my pocket, going, 'Where's the money at? Where's the money at?'," Alston said.

Alston allegedly motioned to a pocket on his right leg containing about $3,000, and after taking out the money, Alston grabbed the man's gun and forced his attacker to the ground, the newspaper said.

Police said the alleged attacker bit Alston on the hand and grabbed $2,700 of Alston's money before running off, the Daily News said.

Alston, a Philadelphia native who lost two brothers to gun violence, said he feels bad for the man who attacked him but is offering a $5,000 reward leading to his arrest.

"We never know what the circumstance is," Alston said. "He could be a bad seed, or trying to feed his seed. To me, it's sad."