A man tackled a 19-year-old off his bike and robbed him early Sunday morning on Randall Avenue, police said Tuesday.

According to Madison Police Department spokes-person Joel DeSpain, the victim, most likely a University of Wisconsin student, was riding his bike home heading to the Spring Street area when the suspect took him to the ground at about 12:25 a.m. The suspect rifled through the victim’s pockets, taking a money clip, driver’s license and a credit card.

“The [suspect] took off with that,” DeSpain said, adding he was last seen running eastbound on Milton Street.

The victim struck his head on the concrete pavement, but did not think it was necessary to go to the hospital, DeSpain said.

He added the victim said “it happened very fast,” and the victim was also having some trouble exactly recounting the details of what happened.

DeSpain also said a friend of the victim saw some of the mugging occur and chased the suspect down the street, but the attacker outran him.

According to the police report, the suspect is a black male, 20 to 24 years old, 6-foot to 6-foot-4-inches in height with a medium build.

He possibly had dreadlocks and was wearing a dark hoodie with light writing on the front, a white T-shirt visible from underneath the hoodie and blue jeans.

According to DeSpain, the police used a K-9 unit in an attempt to track the suspect.

However, the track proved unsuccessful; DeSpain said it is often difficult to track a suspect in an urban area due to the level of contamination from other people.

“Almost any time there is a robbery [a K-9 unit] will track,” said Capt. Vic Wahl, head of the MPD K-9 unit.

Wahl said it is safe to assume the MPD will attempt a K-9 track for situations such as this if a unit is on hand, adding the police may even borrow other units from jurisdictions such as UW, Dane County, Mt. Horeb and Sun Prairie. The MPD, in turn, assists these other jurisdictions when necessary.

Anyone with information is urged to call Madison Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.