Man Reports Armed Robbery in Princeton, Then Changes Story

A man reported being robbed near Princeton-by-the-Sea waterfront eatery on Thursday at around 4 p.m., yet later changed his story to report that he was not robbed after all, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said on Friday afternoon.

Sheriff's deputies arrived on scene within one minute of being called by the man who described the robbers as two black male adults armed with a handgun and a shotgun. However, deputies were not able to find the man who filed the report, nor the alleged suspects, the Sheriff's Office reported.

According to the man — who was determined to be from the Dallas, Tex. area based on cell phone records — the supposedly armed pair fled the scene via Highway 1 while driving a black Nissan Maxima with large rims.

Despite positioning patrol cars north of the restaurant at Highway 1 in Moss Beach and south of the restaurant at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 92, Sheriff's deputies did not see any vehicles matching the victim's description, the Sheriff's Office said.

No individuals in the area reported witnessing the incident, nor could the victim initially be found after his report to authorities.

County Communications was able to recontact the man through his cell phone number. Depsite advising authorities that he was at the in Half Moon Bay, the man was not found at the motel after Sheriff's deputies arrived on the premises.

Deputies searched the other hotels and motels in the area, but the man was not found. Repeated phone calls to the man's cell phone number resulted in the calls going to voicemail, the Sheriff's Office said.

Later, the man contacted County Communications to inform them that he had not been robbed at gunpoint, but had instead been involved in a drug transaction that "had gone bad," according to the Sheriff's Office.

The man told authorities that he had already left the area and did not want further contact with them, the Sheriff's Office reported.

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