Cellphone in man’s pocket blocks bullet during attempted robbery

One South Florida man is glad he was not scrolling through his cellphone on Tuesday.

An iPhone in the man’s left pants pocket blocked a bullet during an attempted armed robbery at a Boynton Beach gas station on Tuesday, authorities said.

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According to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office online booking records, Christopher Carlos Porta, 18, of Lake Worth Beach, was arrested in connection with the shooting and attempted robbery at a Marathon gas station. He was charged with attempted murder and attempted robbery with a firearm, the Boynton Beach Police Department said in a news release.

An arrest affidavit obtained by the Sun Sentinel stated that the victim went inside the Marathon station at about 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday and saw the shooter standing in a corner.

As the victim walked back to his Jeep Wrangler, the suspect allegedly pressed a firearm into his back and demanded the man’s belongings, WPEC reported.

When the victim refused, witnesses said that Porta shot him in the right ankle and threatened to kill him, according to the Sun Sentinel. The shooter fired a second shot, but the victim’s cellphone -- an iPhone with an OtterBox case that was in the left pocket of his shorts -- stopped the bullet from striking his body, WPEC reported.

According to police, the victim ran toward the gasoline pumps while Porta allegedly fired a few more shots at him before fleeing in a silver Nissan.

The victim was transported to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, police said.

Porta was later arrested by Boynton Beach police after he entered an Uber that was headed north. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail, where he remains incarcerated.