Happy Veteran’s Day- your mugging is canceled!

A Milwaukee Army Reservist got a pleasant surprise during a mugging, when the four men who accosted him had a change of heart.

The men singled out the 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student as he was walking home at around 1:15 am on Tuesday. The student, whose identity has not been released, said the four men dragged him into an alley and forced him to lay facedown with a gun to his neck. The men then emptied the young man’s pockets, swiping a wallet, his keys, a cell phone, $16 and oddly, a PowerBar wrapper.

The thieves then rifled through the man’s belongings, and discovered an Army Reservist card. One of the men, who the victim described as the “leader,” decided to return the items. The burglar in charge repeatedly apologized, thanking the young man for his service and reiterating his “respect” for the victim. As the men left the scene, one reportedly returned to give the victim a “fist bump.” The reservist doesn’t wish to be named in the media because he later realized the robbers still have his keys.

Police say the man’s story is not only credible, but that two other men were approached in a short period of time in the same area, presumably by the same four muggers. One other mugging attempt was unsuccessful, with the victim running away screaming. The other involved a convicted burglar with a Department of Corrections ID in his wallet, and inspired no sympathy on behalf of the muggers.