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Craigslist Cellphone Sale Turns Into Robbery at Gunpoint
A Craigslist sale went awry late last week in Glendale, as what was meant to be the sale of some cellphones escalated into a robbery at gunpoint.
A 19-year-old man posted an ad to the popular site putting seven cellphones, including two iPhones, up for sale, according to the Glendale News-Press. An interested party sent a text message Wednesday night, hoping to make the purchase. The seller and buyer arranged to meet up the next night at a Mobil gas station.
The seller was joined by a friend, another 19-year-old male, and the pals arrived together at about 8:55 p.m. Thursday to the arranged meeting spot. The presumed buyer arrived, with a passenger, in a black Nissan sedan.
The seller approached the Nissan, and as the driver of the Nissan asked where the cellphones were, the passenger exited the Nissan. The seller took the driver to his vehicle, where he demonstrated the working cellphones, and requested payment from the buyer.
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The buyer handed over some cash, but as the seller counted it, he began to suspect the bills were phony. The seller asked if the Nissan passenger would go with him inside the gas station while he counted the money. In reply, the passenger pulled a handgun on the seller.
Authorities say the passenger then told the seller and his friend he would shoot if they tried to get away. He demanded they hand over not only the cellphones, but also the friend's wallet, cigarettes, keys and phone.
The seller and his friend obeyed the man's command.
Once they had the goods, the would-be buyer and the armed passenger returned to the black Nissan and took off.
The passenger was described as a black male, "about 6 foot 4 inches tall with an average build," and "wearing a black hooded-sweatshirt, dark blue jeans and gray baseball cap," according to the News-Press, who add: "The driver was black and wearing a light gray sweater and gray baseball cap."
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
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