She says the evening took a bizarre twist, however, when the man held her at gunpoint as she was leaving and robbed her of the money that he had given her.

Police later arrested the man—who had evidently been staying at his girlfriend's apartment in El Gato Penthouse—for armed robbery, as well as possession of marijuana for sale.

The suspect is Cornell Caswell Currie, 24, of Hayward.

According to Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Sgt. Kerry Harris, officers were called to the Penthouse at 3:22 a.m. on Feb. 5 "on a report of a female screaming and being dragged through the parking lot," Harris said.

Police then received a second call, from a woman who claimed she had been robbed at gunpoint in the same apartment complex.

After officers arrived, they were told by the 19-year-old woman that she worked for an escort service in San Francisco. The woman told police that she had been summoned to Los Gatos by a man named Cornell who said he would pay her $300 for her services and gave her an address on Maple Lane.

"The victim indicated that normally she wouldn't have come that distance from San Francisco to Los Gatos, but the money was right," Harris said.

The woman told police that she could not find the address she was given and called "Cornell" on his cell phone to ask for directions. He directed her to the Penthouse and led her from the parking lot to one of the apartments "and then they sat and talked and watched television," Harris reported.

In the early hours of the morning, Currie allegedly paid the escort $300 and walked her back to her car but then suddenly grabbed her by the neck and dragged her toward some nearby bushes, warning her not to scream and demanding his money back.

Currie then allegedly pulled out a semiautomatic pistol. After taking the money from the victim, "he told her to keep walking, not to turn around, or he would shoot her," Harris said.

While Currie evidently returned to the apartment, the victim called police. Officers also tracked down the neighbor who initially phoned in the 911 call, and the neighbor corroborated the woman's story. The witness also told police that the suspect was possibly the guest of a resident of the building and had been seen on prior occasions.

After contacting the apartment manager, police linked the man to a female resident of the Penthouse. "They were able to reach the resident at work," Harris said, and she gave a description of her boyfriend that was similar to the escort's description. The resident also gave police her boyfriend's cell phone number, which was the same as the escort's number for "Cornell."

"At this point, we had a level of confirmation that the boyfriend of this individual was the same person as the suspect," Harris said.

Police evacuated the apartments and surrounded the resident's home, where Currie surrendered without incident.

With the resident's permission, officers searched the apartment and found a handgun hidden in the videotape slot of the VCR. Police also obtained permission from Currie to search his car, where they discovered "five consistently packed bags of marijuana," Harris said, leading them to believe that he had an intent to sell.

Harris said police may investigate the escort service to determine if they have continual activities in Los Gatos, but based on the escort's statements, there most likely will not be a need for further investigation.