A man hoping to buy an iPhone 6 from a Facebook yard sale contact was assaulted with a pistol and robbed Friday afternoon outside an Athens McDonald’s restaurant, an official said.

“The victim was supposed to meet the people in the McDonald’s parking lot on U.S. 72,” Police Chief Floyd Johnson said. “A black male and female in their mid-20s walked up to him. When the victim got out of his vehicle, the man pulled a gun, hit him in the head with the pistol and took $250.”

Police issued an all-points bulletin to other law enforcement agencies but the search for the suspects, who fled in a silver four-door Hyundai, turned up empty, he said.

Police had no suspects as of Friday afternoon. However, Johnson said investigators, including computer forensic experts, will try to develop a suspect.

Meet at police station

The chief warned citizens about where they make such transactions.

“Be careful dealing with someone you don’t know, whether you are meeting them at your house or in a public place,” Johnson said. “We would be glad for them to come to the Police Department. I’ve never heard of anyone getting robbed at a police station.”

According to emergency radio reports, the male suspect struck the victim in the head, robbed him, ran across the Wendy’s restaurant parking lot to Taco Bell, where he entered an awaiting car driven by another person and occupied by another person.

Anyone with information about the suspect or the vehicle should call Athens Police at 256-233-8700.