A 28-year-old Madison male reported a theft on the 700 block of University Avenue Saturday afternoon.

According to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain, the victim claimed he was picking up an acquaintance to give him a ride, but did not know his name, DeSpain added.

According to an MPD statement, the alleged suspect is a male, 28-29 years old, 5’7″ to 5’8″ and weighing 180-190 pounds with a trimmed beard and mustache. The statement said he wore a black sweat suit and black shoes.

The suspect reached in the victim’s pocket and stole his money. The victim then chased the suspect to the intersection of North Broom Street and West Mifflin Street, DeSpain said.

The victim was stopped from the chase when he met with a man wearing ski goggles, wielding a gun, he added.

The victim claimed the man threatened to kill him, according to the statement. The victim then returned to his car and called the police.

“This is what this man is claiming, and it is under investigation,” DeSpain said.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 8, called the incident a “bizarre tale.” Verveer said the victim may be misrepresenting the facts of what might have happened.

Verveer is unsure if the police have had other witnesses that saw the person in the middle of the afternoon with a gun in his hand and ski goggles on his face.

“Without question, there is more to the story than we know,” Verveer said.

Verveer speculated there might be some embellishment or exaggeration on the part of the victim. He said he does not recall a story like this happening downtown or anywhere else in Madison.

“You’d think there’d be other witnesses that would have seen some of this,” he said. “The Mifflin area is heavily populated; there are many people coming and going in that area.”