A University of Wisconsin law student was allegedly mugged early Thursday afternoon walking on West Gilman Street toward State Street.
Brad Kessler, 23, said he was walking by the Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel when a man who was hiding behind a wall put his arm around him. The man said he had a gun, and would shoot Kessler unless he gave the man his valuables.
Kessler said the man was black, about six-foot-one, and in his early 20s. He also had a skin discoloration above one of his eyes.
"For some reason, for like a 40-foot distance, there wasn't anybody, and he had his arm around me like we were friends," Kessler said.
The man took Kessler's iPod before he left Kessler alone. Kessler never actually saw the gun the man said he had.
"He didn't show it to me, but I wasn't about to test that," Kessler said.
Kessler has filed a report with the Madison Police Department and said he will be pressing charges. According to Kessler, the MPD said there might be one or two possible suspects they "have in mind."
Sgt. John Patterson of the MPD confirmed Kessler filed a complaint with their office, and said a captain would review the report.
An official release from the MPD was unavailable as of press time.
This is the second alleged incident to occur on West Gilman Street in the past three weeks. On April 14, a 22-year-old Madison man was allegedly battered while walking home at 3 a.m. with a pizza. The man was allegedly approached by two men, who demanded the pizza. When the victim refused, he was allegedly punched in the head. According to the MPD, the man then received six stitches to his face.