Phone hand-off results in New Year’s Day robbery, assault | Crime

A woman was robbed and assaulted by a man whom she expected to give a small reward for finding her phone early New Year’s Day, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Police say they woman lost her phone earlier that night, and had a friend call her number to find it. A man picked up the phone and said he would return it for a $15 reward. He asked her to meet him in Renton, but the woman asked the man to meet her in Pioneer Square instead, to which he agreed, according to police.

The woman then went to an ATM to withdraw the reward money, along with money she owed her brother, totaling $400.

Around 12:30 a.m., the man arrived to where she was waiting, outside the Volume nightclub, according to police.

The woman pulled out the money to pay the man, but instead of handing over her phone, he punched her in the eye, causing her to fall backward.

The man then grabbed $450 from her and ran away, according to police.

After she maintained her groundings, the woman called 911, according to police. Police say she was not seriously injured and declined medical treatment.