Police: Rock salt robbery suspect filmed stunt for the Internet

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Philadelphia police said a man accused of using a realistic-looking pellet gun to rob a man of a bag of rock salt told officers he was filming pranks.

Philadelphia police Lt. John Stanford said Daron Stinson, 21, and a friend pulled up near a 52-year-old man last week and demanded he place his bag of rock salt in the back of the pickup truck Stinson and his friend were driving, KYW-TV, Philadelphia, reported Wednesday.

Stanford said Stinson, who pointed a weapon that turned out to be a realistic pellet gun, turned himself in to officers Tuesday.

He told police he filmed the incident, and a similar stunt he and his friend perpetrated a few blocks away, as pranks for his Instagram account.

"I can't understand why anyone in their right mind would think something like this is a joke," Stanford said. "They could cause someone to have a heart attack. They could cause someone to be harmed in so many different ways. Again, this is just something that's senseless and stupid, for lack of a better term."

Stinson is charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of a crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. He was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail.