iPhone 5 fever costs man his iPhone 4, $200

Police say this man is the suspect in the robbery Wednesday in a parking lot on the Northeast Side. Police say this man is the suspect in the robbery Wednesday in a parking lot on the Northeast Side. Photo: Courtesy Of San Antonio Police Department Photo: Courtesy Of San Antonio Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close iPhone 5 fever costs man his iPhone 4, $200 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

San Antonio – Sometimes it's just good to wait.

Trying to beat the crowds ahead of iPhone 5 mania last week ended up costing one 21-year-old San Antonio man $200 and his iPhone 4 when he was robbed at gunpoint, police said.

The victim answered an ad he had seen on Craigslist for an iPhone 5 for $200, police said. The victim and the man, described as in his early 20s and about 6 feet tall and 160 pounds, first met in a parking lot in the 6400 block of the Interstate 35 North access road to make the transaction, but the man told the victim he didn't have the iPhone 5 on him, police said.

The man asked the victim to follow him to another location so he could pick up the iPhone 5, but the victim refused because he thought the man “seemed shady” and “might try to mug” him, police said.

Despite his initial instincts, the victim agreed to meet the man a second time after he was contacted by text message and told that they could do the transaction at that point.

The victim returned to the same parking lot Wednesday, police said, and allowed the man to get into the victim's 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

That's when, after the victim confirmed he had brought along the payment for the smartphone, the man pulled out a large-caliber handgun from a backpack and pointed it at the victim's side, the police report said. The gunman took the victim's wallet and iPhone 4, which had been in one of the car's cup holders.

Before leaving the vehicle, the gunman took the victim's car keys and told him not to get out of the car or try to call for help, adding, “Wait here and I'll bring your keys right back,” according to the police report. After about 10 minutes, the victim left his car and got help from a passer-by.

San Antonio police have released photos of the robbery suspect, which he apparently took of himself on the stolen smartphone. It was unclear how authorities got the suspect's photograph.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect. They can be contacted at 224-STOP.

dpalacio@express-news.net