A man suspected of being involved in an armed robbery at an alleged brothel in Washington's Columbia Heights left his thumb behind.

Police say the 22-year-old man and an accomplice made off with hundreds of dollars in cash. However, one of the victims took hold of a silver machete used in the raid and hacked off the right thumb of one of the robbers.

Two hours later, a man with just one thumb reported to an ER; police were called and brought the severed thumb to the hospital. A doctor told police that the thumb 'fits like a puzzle piece' and the man was transferred to Baltimore hospital to have it reattached.

The man is now being held without bond.