They identified the suspect as Roger Gurski, 21, of here. He was being held Tuesday morning in the Porter County Jail.
Sgt. Keith Hughes, police spokesman, characterized the crime as "a drug deal gone bad.
He said the victim, a 20-year-old man, had spoken earlier with Gurski and agreed to buy marijuana from Gurski during an exchange at Starbucks, 2531 Willowcreek Road.
Hughes said the two met about 8:10 p.m. Monday at Starbucks. The victim said Gurski pushed him to the ground, kicked him in the head and stole the victim's cell phone, $160 cash and car keys.
Hughes said the victim, who suffered minor head injuries, went to the city police station and reported the crime. Police arrested Gurski shortly afterwards and recovered the victim's cell phone.
