A 14-year-old boy was robbed of $140 Sunday afternoon in Olympia, according to police.
The boy intended to pay the money for a pair of shoes called Yeezy Slides he had found on the OfferUp app. …
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A 14-year-old boy was robbed of $140 Sunday afternoon in Olympia, according to police.
The boy intended to pay the money for a pair of shoes called Yeezy Slides he had found on the OfferUp app. He and the seller agreed to meet in the 4200 block of Briggs Drive Southeast to complete the transaction.
But after a charcoal-gray Lexus pulled up, the passenger got out with a shoebox and gun and pointed the gun at the teen. The suspect took the victim's $140 and drove off. The shoebox was left behind, containing an old pair of Crocs, Lt. Paul Lower said.
"This one went bad and luckily he didn't get hurt," said Lower about the victim.
The boy told his brother about what happened and then they told their parents when they got home that evening. The robbery occurred about 12:45 p.m., but police weren't dispatched until Sunday evening, Lower said.
Based on the OfferUp messages exchanged between buyer and seller, the suspect appears to be from Tacoma, Lower said. The suspect, thought to be 16-17, and is described as 6-feet tall, 150 pounds with light-colored hair. He was last seen wearing a black Nike hoodie, sweatpants and shoes.
The boy said he met the seller at the Briggs Drive location because it was in front of an apartment building where there might be other people.
Lower acknowledged the boy tried to do the right thing. He offered the following tips:
— Do as much as you can to verify who the seller is in an online transaction.
— Bring another person with you when you conduct the transaction in person.
— If the transaction doesn't feel right, walk away from it.
A few years ago, the city of Lacey created designated e-commerce parking spots for online transactions, which are in front of the police department and a video camera.
Anyone with information about the Sunday robbery in Olympia is asked to call police at 360-753-8300.