Hey! Look! Another (possibly) Craigslist-related robbery!
The victim in this latest incident was robbed in North Seattle last Wednesday (the 24th) after he met up with a man selling an iPhone on Craigslist.
The seller called the man around 5:15pm and asked him to pick him up at 145th and 6th NE. The men drove around–it’s not entirely clear where they ended up from the report–and the seller asked the victim for a ride home “because it was cold out,” according to a police report.
The victim drove the man to another location–somewhere on 17th NE–and stopped to let the seller out.
While the victim was parked on the street, two men approached the victim and asked if his car was stuck.
One of the suspects then pulled out a silver handgun and demanded the victim’s money.
The suspects took his newly purchased phone, wedding ring, GPS device, and cash.
One of the suspects then took the keys out of the victim’s ignition, tossed them in the car, and told the victim and the seller to run.
The victim ran off and then returned to his car. He then drove to a nearby restaurant and called 911.
The victim told police he believed the man who sold him the iPhone had set up the robbery. The report says the victim told officers the seller had been on his phone during the entire car ride, and had directed the victim to drive to the spot where the robbery occurred. The seller also apparently prevented the victim from driving away when the two suspects walked up to his car, by shifting the victim’s car into park.
Again: if you’re buying or selling something on Craigslist, do it in a very, very, very public place.
Not everyone on Craigslist is looking to rip you off, but meeting potential buyers or sellers at a mall, police station, the zoo, Justin Bieber concert, etc might reduce the chances that someone tries to rob you.
