A clothing sale arranged over social media turned into an armed robbery near 2400 11th St. S in St. Petersburg last month, and police say the suspect was eventually found wearing the very items he stole. Zahmarcus Mitchell, 18, has now been arrested in connection with the holdup, though a second suspect remains at large.
According to WFLA, Mitchell and the victim had arranged to meet on September 25 to sell clothes. Instead of a simple exchange, police said the meetup turned violent. “Our suspect approached the victim and produced a firearm and stole all the items that the victim was going to potentially sell to him,” police said, per the same report.
Investigators said the break in the case came when Mitchell was later found wearing the stolen clothing. “He was actually found to be wearing the items that he stole from our victim,” police said, according to the station's report. Despite Mitchell's arrest, police say they are still searching for a second suspect connected to the robbery, and the man's identity and status have not been disclosed.
A Pattern of Armed Robberies Tied to Online Sales
The St. Petersburg case is far from an isolated incident across Florida. In November 2025, three men were accused of robbing a Facebook Marketplace seller at gunpoint in Riverview while he tried to sell shoes and a watch, according to cbs12.com. As the seller ran from the scene, shots were fired at him, though he was not hit.
That Riverview case has since produced multiple arrests. Syrus Pentecost, 20, was taken into custody for his alleged role in the robbery at the Bell Creek Professional Park complex, and arrest warrants were issued for Michael Moore, 22, and Daniel Yanacheck, 21, cbs12.com reported. A separate account from mysuncoast.com described the same November 2025 incident, saying the suspected buyers pulled out a pistol and a rifle before robbing the seller at the office park.
Farther north, in Gainesville, Alachua County Sheriff's deputies investigated a robbery that unfolded during a Facebook Marketplace transaction, according to wcjb.com. Two masked suspects dressed in black approached the parties during the meetup, with one of them armed with a handgun, before forcibly taking the items and running off. The outlet reported that the person who had arranged the meeting was later determined to have been involved in the robbery himself.
Safety Warnings for Online Sellers
Social media marketplaces can offer better deals than traditional retail, but buying or selling items this way can also be unsafe, as the string of Florida robberies illustrates. Officials have repeatedly urged people arranging in-person exchanges to meet during daylight hours in public, well-lit locations, and to avoid going alone whenever possible.
Many law enforcement agencies across the state recommend using a police station parking lot or another designated safe-exchange zone for online transactions. For now, St. Petersburg police continue to search for the second person connected to the robbery near 11th Street South, even as Mitchell faces the consequences of a sale that authorities say never should have turned dangerous.
