Rumors can often spark a reaction, but one Colorado man this week learned that they can also spark violence.

According to an Associated Press report, an angry mob in Denver this week threw rocks at a man they believed to be the a child molester. The mob was reportedly angered by the failure of local police to arrest a suspect in the case of two separate sexual crimes, one involving the rape of a girl and another involving a flashing incident with a different child. A description of the suspect in the crimes was released by police, and the mob began searching for someone matching the description. According to police, the description was vague, as the criminal had worn a bandanna over his face.

When the mob found the 54-year-old man they later assaulted, he ran before being surrounded and beaten. Police arrived and took the man into custody. The man reportedly escaped the attempted stoning with only a bloody face, and has not pressed charges against the mob. He has provided a DNA sample to police, so that he can be definitively ruled out as a suspect.