News Releases

Detectives Investigate Armed Robbery Committed During Online Sale Meet-Up; Ask for Public’s Help to Identify Suspect

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 5^th District Investigative Section continue to investigate a November 10 armed robbery committed when the suspect met the adult male victim to purchase a cell phone that the victim had offered for sale online.

On November 10, at approximately 7:37 p.m., 5^th District officers responded to a grocery store parking lot located in the 19700 block of Germantown Road for the report of an armed robbery that had just occurred.   The victim reported to police that he had posted an advertisement to sell a cell phone on the “OfferUp” application.  The suspect contacted the victim through the app and agreed to meet the victim in the grocery store parking lot to purchase the cell phone.   During the exchange, the suspect produced a handgun, assaulted the victim, and stole the victim’s cell phone.

Anyone with information about the suspect or this armed robbery is asked to contact the Montgomery County Department of Police – 5th District Investigative Section at 240-773-6237.  To be eligible for a reward, tipsters may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or submit a Crime Solvers tip online or via the app.  Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to the arrest and/or indictment of this suspect.  Tipsters will remain anonymous.

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Selling and Purchasing Items:

The Montgomery County Police Department has designated safe Exchange Zones for residents to complete online transactions.  These Exchange Zones are located at each of the six police district station’s lobbies and parking lots (with the exception of the Second District parking lot). Find more information about Exchange Zones, here.

When selling or purchasing items from an unknown person, the Montgomery County Police Department offers the following safety tips:

• Always meet the buyer or seller at an exchange zone that is well populated, well lit, and preferably at a designated police exchange zone.
• Tell a friend or family member where you’re going to meet someone and when possible, take a friend with you.
• Inform the buyer/seller that you will not be alone.
• Do not invite strangers into your home.
• Never give out any personal or financial information.
• When dealing with large sums of cash, don’t be afraid to tell the buyer that you will want to check the bills for authenticity.
• It is OK to show a buyer that you have an item, but do not surrender it until you have checked the validity of the currency.
• Look for the denomination specific security features. Each bill has a specific watermark and security thread.
• Sometimes an advertised sale is a scam…trust your instincts – if it sounds like a scam or too good to be true, it probably is.

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Release ID: 20-494
Media Contact: Rick Goodale 
Categories: robbery