The chief of police in Lexington, South Carolina, is warning residents of the dangers of meeting with strangers in order to exchange goods purchased online after an armed robbery yesterday.
At about 3:40 pm on Tuesday, a man called the police and said he was robbed at gunpoint while meeting strangers he met online to sell his iPhone in a commercial parking lot on 5400 block of Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, Carolina South.
During the meeting, the victim handed the iPhone to the man in the passenger seat of the vehicle, police said.
Upon handing over the phone, a man in the car pulled out a gun and pointed at the victim, police said.
The suspects then fled the scene, but the victim was able to obtain the license plate information and vehicle description, which she immediately shared with the police officers who responded.
Lexington police patrolling the area spotted the car on Corley Mill Road and stopped it near I-20.
Police found two guns and the iPhone stolen in the vehicle.
Officers arrested Gabriel Brunson Jr., 18, of Hopkins, South Carolina, and Sierra Fletcher, 31, of Columbia, South Carolina.
Brunson and Fletcher were charged with conspiracy, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Fletcher faces an additional charge of possession of a weapon by a person convicted of a crime.
“This armed robbery is a good reminder that there can be risks in finding a stranger on the Internet to sell or buy things,” said Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green.
Green recommended that residents selling products online use the Internet Purchase Exchange Location at the Lexington Police Department. The area is monitored by video 24 hours a day.
“Telling someone that you will find them in the police department is a measure that can be taken to ensure your safety during these transactions,” said Green.
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