They say you should look both ways before committing a crime.

The dim thugs who robbed a man in the Mission district by putting him in a chokehold Wednesday morning did so in front of cops, police said.

The suspects, men ages 30 and 45, were arrested after the robbery at Shotwell and 16th streets around 2:30 a.m.

The victim, a 35-year-old man, was standing with a friend when he was attacked, police said. While the 45-year-old suspect had him in a chokehold, the 35-year-old suspect emptied his pockets. They allegedly stole keys and a cellphone.

maldax@sfexaminer.com