By Jim Clark

A Belmont man ran into some trouble as he was jogging in Somerville last week.

As the man passed through Davis Square and onto Medford Street he was reportedly approached by a group of three young men and one of them asked for some change. He ignored the request and proceeded into a restaurant, but he was followed inside the establishment by the individual who had asked for the money and was again pressed for a handout, police said.

The man pulled out his wallet, intending to give some change, only to have the cash inside the wallet snatched away from him. The alleged thief reportedly said to the victim, “You better give me the money,” as he took the cash and then walked out of the restaurant.

The victim reportedly told responding police officers that he did not bother to go after the man because he was concerned that he would be confronting the alleged robber’s friends as well as the man himself, and that he felt it was not worth the risk considering he had lost only seven dollars.

A short time after reporting the incident a police unit detained a group of men matching the victim’s description, according to reports. The victim later identified the individual that allegedly took his money, police said.

Niall Vallega, 19, of Malden, was arrested and charged with unarmed robbery.