A Massachusetts judge presiding over a case involving a man accused of robbing a convenience store has denied the man’s request to juggle for the jury to show jurors he did not commit the crime and was only “clowning around.”

A Springfield, Mass., judge on Thursday rejected Orlando Melendez‘s request to juggle for jurors when the case goes to trial. He claimed in his written motion that he is a real clown.

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Melendez has pleaded not guilty to charges he used a toy gun to try to rob a convenience store in December.

The 20-year-old man, who is representing himself, asked that he be allowed to juggle three wads of paper for 20 seconds to show jurors that the alleged attempted robbery was a misunderstanding.

Jury selection is set to begin June 8.

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