On March 21, the owner of the Sole Survivor Leather store was going about his day as usual when a man entered the store in an apparent armed robbery attempt. The man told police he was in fear for his life when Amanuel Perkins held him at gunpoint and demanded money.

That is, until he realized the gun he was holding, a repurposed multicolored water pistol, was a toy.

The owner of the store swatted the toy gun away and proceeded to kick Perkins out of his store until police arrived on scene.

After being arrested and charged with one count of attempted first-degree robbery, police say Perkins is denying that he intended to rob the store, and is now claiming the whole thing “was a joke for St. Patrick’s Day”.

Apparently, the joke’s on him.