Officers responded to Springfield Avenue and South 15th Street after Darryl Armstrong told detectives that three men wearing all black clothes exited a black four-door vehicle, pointed a weapon at him, threw him to the ground, and took his cellphone, Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr said.
During the investigation, the detectives reviewed surveillance video that showed Armstrong was not robbed, Miranda said.
At 2:29 p.m., Armstrong was standing on the sidewalk on Springfield Avenue when he ran into the middle of the street and grabbed the door handle of a white SUV vehicle. He lost his grip and fell face first to the ground, Miranda said…