http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24287934/detail.html

Birmingham Man Robbed At Gunpoint

Man Robbed Of Cash, Wedding Ring, iPhone

POSTED: Friday, July 16, 2010
UPDATED: 3:03 pm EDT July 18, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. -- Two men who rang the doorbell of a Birmingham man's home robbed him at gunpoint, police said.The July 13 incident has police on high alert because an armed robbery has not occurred in the city in more than 30 years, according to Birmingham police Chief Don Studt."We have been seeing some daytime burglaries in the jurisdiction, but nothing face-to-face like this," said Studt.

Police said the thieves rang the doorbell of a home on the 500 block of Riverstone Street near Southfield and Maple roads just after 1 p.m. on July 13.When the homeowner answered the door, the men said they were landscapers.After a few minutes of small talk, one of the men pulled out a gun and asked the homeowner to give him money.The homeowner gave the men $100 in cash, his wedding ring and the iPhone that was attached to his belt, police said.The men then told the homeowner to go back into the home.The homeowner slammed the door, locked it and called 911.

A witness said the two men got into a 2003-2006 white Jeep Cherokee with chrome rims and drove away.A neighbor across the street told police that moments before the robbery, she heard the doorbell ring, but when she saw two men she did not recognize, she didn't answer the door and they left."She watched around the corner and saw two men standing by the door here and one of them was peering through the glass and she didn't like that so she didn't answer," said the neighbor's husband Ian McEwan.

Studt said the thieves sound like amateurs, which makes them even more dangerous.The men are both described as black. The gunman was described as taller than the other man.No further description is available."We take it very seriously. We will check with all of the police departments and put out word to all of those about what we had happen," said Studt.