The men identified themselves as police officers, pushed a man up against a wall in downtown St. Paul late Friday and started to go through his pockets. Then a couple of real police officers happened to drive by.

So said criminal complaints filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court charging Tommie Lee Jordan, 52, and Perry York, 47, both of St. Paul, with robbery.

York and Jordan approached a 28-year-old man in the 300 block of Wabasha Street at about 11:45 p.m. Friday, the complaints said. They asked for a cigarette, then one identified himself as a police officer and told the victim to get his hands up against the wall, the complaint said. York and Jordan pushed the victim against the wall and began to go through his pockets, taking his cigarettes, the complaint said.

Two real St. Paul police officers on patrol came by and intervened, according to the complaint. After their arrest, York and Jordan denied robbing the man, and said they only asked for a cigarette and showed the victim photographs of naked women on their cellphones, the complaint said.

Jordan and York were ordered held in lieu of $40,000 in bail. They could not be reached for comment Monday.

Richard Chin can be reached at 651-228-5560. Follow him at twitter.com/RRChin.