COLUMBUS – Columbus police say a teenager lured his victim with an online offer of a smart phone for sale, then stole the man’s money and his phone.
The 17-year-old was charged with aggravated robbery in connection with the March 1 incident, when Bernie Sleshi arranged to meet the suspect, who had advertised on LetGo that he had an iPhone 7+ for sale, and ended up being robbed of money and his own phone, Robbery Unit detectives said.
Police say Sleshi, 28, met the suspect in the 1100 block of E. 21st Street at 8:35 p.m. after answering the ad and agreeing upon a price. After Sleshi looked at the phone, the suspect put it back in his pocket and pulled out a handgun, taking both Sleshi’s money and cell phone before taking off down the street, police said.
SWAT officers on Saturday served a search warrant on several addresses where the suspect was supposed to have been living and arrested him at 6:50 p.m. in an upstairs bedroom of one of the homes.