An odd case in Chapel Hill earlier this week, as a mugger robbed a man of 160 dollars at knifepoint – but ended up giving all the money back.

The incident took place at 12:30 Tuesday morning, near the intersection of Columbia and Caldwell Streets in the Northside neighborhood.

“A gentleman was walking in that area, and someone approached him and pulled a knife and demanded his money,” says Chapel Hill Police Sgt. Bryan Walker. “When he gave the person the money, the suspect began to run away – and the victim chased him as he called 911.

“The suspect stopped, gave him his money back, and then left the scene.”

Sgt. Walker says it’s a good thing that everything ended well in this case – though in general, it’s probably not the best idea to chase after an armed robber.

“We certainly wouldn’t encourage anyone else in that situation to handle it the same way that this victim did – we wouldn’t suggest that someone chase a suspect that has just threatened you with a weapon,” Walker says. “But in this case, it didn’t result in a terrible outcome.”

The would-be victim who chased after the mugger is a 35-year-old Northside resident.