MADISON, Wis. - An armed man posing as a security guard attempted to rob a Madison man in a mall parking lot Wednesday night, police said.

The Madison Police Department said a 24-year-old man was about to get on his motorcycle after shopping at West Towne Mall at 6:30 p.m. when a man claiming to be a security guard approached him.

Police said the stranger had just gotten out of gold-colored sedan. He was wearing a tight-fitting ribbed tank top, saggy pants and had a white T-shirt or 'do-rag wrapped around his head.

The cyclist told police he didn't believe the man was security personnel. According to the report, the security poser told the cyclist that there had been an incident at the mall and he told the shopper to turn over his backpack. When the victim refused, the fake security man lifted his shirt and placed a hand on a gun that was tucked in his waistband.

The cyclist, who already had his helmet on, fired up his bike and left. When he got to a safe location, he called 911 to report the attempted robbery.

Police described the armed would-be mugger as black, between 25-30 years old, with a medium to light complexion, between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 145 pounds. He had an athletic build and a tattoo, which was larger than a teardrop, near his right eye.