It was a set up.
That’s what the victim of a gunpoint robbery at Wendell Park in Richmond suspects, according to police.
At about 11 a.m., a teenager used the OfferUp app to arrange a meeting with a buyer to sell the computer, and when the meeting took place a man wearing a black mask and blue sweatpants walked up and robbed the teen at gunpoint of his phone and computer, Richmond police Capt. Al Walle said.
“The victim believed the buyer had arranged the robbery because he had been texting just prior to the robbery and his property was not taken by the suspect,” Walle said.
The incident is yet another example of a crime that could have been prevented had the seller met his buyer at the Richmond Police Department’s safe exchange zone, located at its headquarters at 1701 Regatta Blvd. Along with being located at police department, the exchange zone is well-lit and under 24 hour video surveillance.
RPD recently reminded the public about this service, which was installed in 2017, following a similar robbery at a FoodsCo parking lot in Richmond.
