PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A man was robbed at gunpoint last week after he met up with someone who he arranged to sell an iPhone to via the OfferUp platform, Pembroke Pines police announced Monday.
According to authorities, the victim met with the suspect around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of The Avant community in the area of Southwest 123rd Terrace and 10th Street.
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Police said the suspect arrived in a blue, four-door sedan being driven by another man.
They said one of the suspects got out of the car, pulled out a gun and demanded the iPhone, but the victim refused to hand it over even after the suspect fired a single shot into the ground.
According to police, the victim tried to leave but the armed suspect hit him in the face with the handle of the gun.
The victim finally handed over the iPhone, but refused to give up any other property despite the suspect’s demands.
Police said the armed robber fired two more shots – one into the ground and another toward a building, but no one was struck by the bullets.
The armed robber then ran off to the blue sedan and the second suspect drove the getaway car away.
The robber is described by police as a black male between the ages of 17 and 22. He was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and about 130 pounds. Police said he had a thin build, a dark complexion and short, twisted black hair.
Police were unable to get a description of the second suspect because they said he remained in the getaway car during the robbery.
“The Pembroke Pines Police Department would like to remind our community that both our East and West District police stations are designated ‘Safe Deal Zones’ and are available to the public as meet-up locations for transactions negotiated online,” the police department said in a news release. “The East District Station (Headquarters) is located at 9500 Pines Boulevard and the West District Station is located at 18400 Johnson Street.”
Anyone with information about the suspects’ identities is asked to call the Pembroke Pines Police Department or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.