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Another Craigslist Cellphone Parking Lot Sale Ends in Crime
Those inclined to sell your used cellphones on Craigslist, take heed from yet another instance of a sale-gone-wrong. As it seems to happen frequently lately, a parking lot meet-up to sell an iPhone devolved into a crime when the would-be buyer opted to steal the phone right out of the seller's hands.
The incident took place Tuesday night in the parking lot of a 99 Cents Only store in Burbank, reports the Burbank Leader.
The seller had arranged to meet a prospective buyer for his iPhone 5 after posting an ad on Craigslist.
When the would-be buyer, described by police as "black, roughly 19 years old with brown hair and brown eyes [...] wearing jeans and a black flannel jacket," approached the seller, he asked to see the phone. No sooner had the seller held out the phone did the buyer-turned-thief grab it right out of his hands and took off running, leaving the seller out his phone and the prospective sale money.
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Luckily, in this case, the suspect wasn't armed, as it has happened recently in San Diego and not once, but twice in Glendale.
Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn emphasizes sellers using Craiglist also use caution when meeting up with buyers, and recommends bringing someone with you.
Parking lots seem to be popular meeting spots, but can often mean darkness and no witnesses, so consider meeting inside a business or outside in broad daylight in a very public place.
Previously
Couple Shot in Craigslist iPhone Sale Gone Wrong
Craigslist Cellphone Sale-Turned-Armed-Robbery New Trend?
Craigslist Cellphone Sale Turns Into Robbery at Gunpoint
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