No Charges in Headlock Fatal Failed Robbery

One of the two men the would-be robber approached was a former high school wrestler

Essex County prosecutors say they won't file charges in the death of a would-be robber who was killed last weekend when his intended victims fought back.

Law-enforcement sources told NBC New York that 30-year-old Gian Davis approached two men near Bloomfield Avenue in Newark at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday and asked for change.

When the men said "no," he then asked to borrow a cell phone, grabbed it and tried to run off with it, sources said.

One of the men lunged to get the phone back and Davis put him in a headlock, according to sources. Then, sources say the other man, a former high school wrestler, pulled Davis off his friend and put the would-be robber in a headlock.

After the students subdued Davis, they called 911. Officers soon took Davis to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A cause of death has not been disclosed

Acting County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said Wednesday that her office won't file charges in the case. But she said the investigation is ongoing and could eventually be presented to a grand jury.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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