Police: Woman tumbles down stairs in successful battle to keep phone away from mugger at Orange Line station

Transit Police report arresting a man on charges he tried to steal a woman's phone out of her hands at the Tufts Medical Center stop on the Orange Line last night.

According to police, Joaquin Armaiz, 43, went up to a woman walking towards the platform around 7:40 p.m., grabbed her by the shoulders and demanded her phone:

The victim refused, the male then forcefully attempted to rip the victim's cell phone from her hands. A struggle ensued which caused the victim to fall down a set of stairs resulting in minor abrasions to her facial area. The victim was able to maintain possession of her phone. The male attacker fled the station running out onto Washington Street.

Police say an officer spotted a man matching the victim's description at Tremont and Boylston. She was brought there, IDed him and Armaiz was bundled into a Transit Police cruiser for booking on a charge of unarmed assault to rob.