An arrest has been made in connection to a string of online marketplace robberies, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced yesterday. A 27-year-old individual is now facing a raft of charges after detectives linked him to robberies that put local online sellers on edge. According to the SLMPD's report, he's been charged with three counts of Robbery 1st Degree, three counts of Armed Criminal Action, three counts of UUW- Felon in Possession of a Firearm, two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and one count of misdemeanor Stealing.
It was in the Baden neighborhood, detailed an incident on January 25, where a seller's everyday transaction turned dangerous. The would-be buyer arranged to meet a 26-year-old man to purchase a cellphone, but upon arrival, escalated the situation from commerce to crime by brandishing a firearm and demanding the seller's possessions. The police said the 26-year-old was robbed of the cellphone he intended to sell. The arrest, made on March 3, offered a close to this tense chapter of violated trust and stolen property.
District 6 detectives worked the case and made the link between the robberies and the suspect. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office officially issued the charges on March 4, following the arrest. The detectives' efforts mark a critical step in addressing the fears that naturally burgeon in communities when the marketplace, so vital to the circulation of goods and local economy, becomes a hunting ground for predators.
