Palo Alto police arrested a man who they said threatened a worker at Cardinal Bike Shop and walked out with cash on Friday afternoon.

The man, a 23-year-old resident of Healdsburg, reportedly walked into the bike shop at 1955 El Camino Real shortly before 2:40 p.m. and told staff that he wants to sell a used electric bicycle. When store employees told him that they didn't want to buy it, the man reached into his backpack, feigned as though he had a weapon, threatened violence and demanded cash from an employee, a man in his 40s, according to a news release from the Palo Alto Police Department.

The employee gave the man cash from the register and the man left the store, leaving the electric bicycle behind.

Palo Alto police received a call about the in-progress robbery and arrived at the scene within three minutes of the incident, according to the news release. They detained the man just as he was about to drive away in his vehicle.

Police booked the man into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of robbery and criminal threats, which are both felonies, according to the police. Officers did not locate any weapons on the man or inside his vehicle, a 2009 Lexus.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.

Editor's note: Palo Alto Online's policy is to withhold the names of those arrested for most crimes until the district attorney has determined there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case. Read our guidelines.