Daytona Beach, FL - Investigators are looking for two young men who robbed a Port Orange man at gunpoint of an Apple Watch and two iPhones, including one he was trying to sell through a phone app.
The 25-year-old victim called 911 for help around 8:30 last night (October 23rd), sending officers to a parking lot near Pearson's Food Town on Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard.
(WARNING: Audio cuts off abruptly at the end.)
[/audio]
Daytona Beach Police Department spokesperson Lyda Longa says it all started when the victim agreed to sell a silver iPhone 8 he owned through OfferUp to another man.
"He had asked the buyer to meet him at a Publix parking lot, but the buyer said no and instead told the victim to meet him at the [parking lot] after 7 p.m.," Longa added. "The suspect’s refusal to meet at Publix should have been a red flag for the victim."
According to the incident report, the victim showed up around 7:30 p.m. and sat inside his 2017 Hyundai as the men who were about to rob him got out of a car parked nearby at the corner of Walnut Street and 3rd Avenue and walked up to his car.
"One of the suspects asked the victim to turn on the cell phone he was selling to make sure it worked," Longa noted. "The victim turned away so he could turn on a light in his car and at that point, one of the suspects snatched the phone from his hand."
When the victim turned around, he found a silver revolver in the hand of the suspect who took the phone, and that same suspect ordered him out of the car after taking the Series 3 watch and the other cell phone, which was a silver iPhone X, per the report.
"The victim bolted from the immediate area, but watched as the suspects failed to start the engine of his car because of the manual transmission," Longa stated. "The two suspects ran from the car with the keys and the items they had stolen from the victim. The victim then called 911."
The victim wasn't hurt and didn't need medical treatment at the scene. He eventually left in his own vehicle after it was processed for evidence, according to the report.
Both suspects are described as young black males with brown eyes and black hair. One of them is believed to be between 14 and 17 years of age who stands around 5'8, while the other is 17 to 21 years of age who stands around 6 feet.
The older one had the gun and was wearing a gray hoodie sweater with black shorts and an Afro hairstyle, while the younger had on a black hoodie sweater and black shorts, per the report.
Longa says cases like these are why DBPD recommends going to safe places when trying to sell anything online or through your phone.
"The Daytona Beach Police Department vehemently warns the public against making sales transactions in obscure locations," Longa added. "Anyone interested in selling an item is welcomed and even encouraged to do so in the parking lot or lobby of our headquarters at 129 Valor Boulevard. Other police departments offer the same service."
Here's #WednesdayWisdom from @DBCops1. If you sell stuff via the LetGo or OfferUp apps, please do it in our parking lot or in front of our building - 129 Valor Blvd. - pictured here. If a buyer refuses to meet you in a safe place, don't do it. pic.twitter.com/gkGjTpEuhj
— Daytona Beach Police (@DBCops1) October 24, 2018
