The Miami police arrested a man in Hialeah, accused of armed robbery and stealing from vendors who were offering jewelry through the mobile app OfferUp.
According to the arrest report, David Fontánez Gutiérrez, 33 years old, used a similar modus operandi in each case: he would offer to buy jewelry from people who advertised it through the online platform, schedule a meeting with them, and when he met his victims, he would escape with the items without paying. One of the incidents involved an armed robbery.
Fontánez, with addresses in southwest Miami-Dade and Kissimmee, was arrested last Friday at Westland Hialeah Senior High School, as reported by the police this Monday.
Between April 28 and May 14, three robberies occurred, two in the La Pequeña Habana neighborhood and another one in the MiMo district of Miami.
Fontánez used a disposable phone number from TextNow and would block the people he contacted on OfferUp shortly before the meetings, AmericaTeVé pointed out.
On April 28th, the accused met one of the victims at Northwest 10th Avenue and 3rd Street in Little Havana, around 3:30 p.m., with the alleged purpose of buying a Cuban bracelet from them.
According to the channel's report, Fontánez asked the seller to try it on, to which he refused. Then he said he wanted to weigh the bracelet on a scale he had in his car.
When they were heading to the vehicle, the victim handed over the item to the alleged buyer and noticed "a bulge on his waist with a holster-type clip," according to the police report.
Fontánez threatened to shoot him. "I'm going to blow you up," he said, got into his BMW SUV, and started the car. The seller tried, unsuccessfully, to open the passenger door, but the suspect managed to escape with the bracelet.
Last Friday, the police found Fontánez inside his car, parked in an area designated only for students at Westland Hialeah Senior High School. The officers found a Glock 19 pistol in the vehicle and arrested him for possession of a firearm on school property and for openly carrying a weapon.
Fontánez is also facing several charges of armed robbery and grand theft. He was detained at the Turner Guilford Knight (TGK) Detention Center in Miami-Dade and appeared in court this Monday.
“We have to keep criminals like this behind bars, add more charges, because at any moment he could have taken someone's life,” said Miami Police Captain Freddie Cruz to Local 10 News.
The statement published by the Miami Police Department urges anyone who has been a victim of the accused to come forward and cooperate with the investigation.
"Sellers who have been victims of similar scams are advised to proceed with caution and prioritize safety when conducting transactions with unknown buyers," warned the police.
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