A 25-year-old man fought back Sunday evening after an armed robber demanded money from him on the 4200 block of Chestnut Street.
Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Mike Morrin said that at about 8:15 p.m. a man approached the victim, grabbed him by the collar and demanded money.
The attacker reportedly placed a revolver against the victim's stomach while making the demand.
The victim told the man that he did not have any money with him but that he would go inside a nearby restaurant and get some from an ATM.
Once inside the restaurant, the victim told patrons and employees what had happened.
The victim, and several people who had been inside the restaurant, then ran outside to chase the would-be robber.
The man did not shoot at the group, but instead fled north on 42nd Street and escaped.
A short time later, the victim alerted a Philadelphia police officer who was passing in a police car.
The victim, who is not affiliated with Penn, described his assailant as a clean-shaven black male in his mid-30s, 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium complexion and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and white pants.
In a separate incident, Penn Police arrested a 17-year-old male -- who is unaffiliated with the University -- for allegedly carrying a gun near campus Friday night.
At about 8:10 p.m., employees monitoring surveillance cameras at the Division of Public Safety PennComm center noticed someone riding a bicycle in circles near the intersection of 34th and Spruce Streets.
While under surveillance, the person hid the bike in some bushes and walked away.
Morrin said that PennComm employees alerted uniformed officers, who waited near the bike for the person to return.
When he did, police frisked him and questioned him about his behavior.
During the search, police reportedly discovered a .25-caliber semi-automatic handgun in his right jacket pocket.
The 17-year-old -- who resides on the 500 block of North Simpson Street in West Philadelphia -- was arrested and charged with weapons violations.
Police are not releasing the suspect's name because he is a juvenile.
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