Police are still looking for a man who tried to rob a guest at McMinnville Inn on Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect, described only as a white male, fled the scene after the would-be victim wrestled the gun away from him.
It was then he learned the gun in question was a pellet gun that had the orange safety cap removed.
“It looked real,” said McMinnville police detective Todd Rowland, who found the gun behind the door of the motel room. “It’s the same crime since he used the threat of deadly force in the robbery attempt.”
Rowland revealed the victim told him the robber knocked on his door at the local motel and barged in holding a gun.
“The victim told the man he didn’t have anything to steal,” Rowland said, noting the victim said he did not recognize the robber.
At some point the victim lunged for the weapon and it fell on the floor. The robber then dashed out the door and disappeared. Police combed the area shortly after the incident but found no sign of the suspect.
“He could have run into the woods or had a car parked right outside,” Rowland said. “We just don’t know.”
While the robber avoided arrest Wednesday, his victim wasn’t so lucky as he was arrested on outstanding warrants when lawmen realized they had papers against him.