GRPD: Robber fires at Craigslist buyers

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Two men from Okemos were unhurt when shots were fired at their pickup truck during an armed robbery while they tried to buy an iPhone from a private seller.

The shots were fired around 7:30 p.m. Monday outside the Metro PCS Wireless store on Eastern Avenue south of Burton Street SE. The store was not involved in the sale of the phone or was a target of the robbery.

The men placed an ad on craigslist to buy an iPhone and went to that location to meet the seller and purchase the phone.

One of the victims told police a man robbed him outside the store and then fired at least two shots, shattering the truck's windshield.

No one was injured. The two men drove to the Meijer gas station on Kalamazoo Avenue to call for help.

The suspect did get away with some cash.

The suspect is described as 6-foot-2, heavy-set black male in his 30s with a buzz cut and a lazy right eye. He was last seen wearing a black jacket and blue and white winter hat with fold down flaps.

Grand Rapids Police say this incident marks the third time in recent weeks they have responded to an incident in which a buyer saw iPhone on Craiglist and gunfire erupted during what was supposed to be a sale.

One of those times was on the evening Nov. 27 at an apartment in the 2900 block of Marshall SE. In that case, a man was shot in the hand. There were two suspects.

There were also two suspects in the other incident, GRPD said, which happened on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving on the northeast side.

Grand Rapids urge online shoppers to get information upfront before meeting up with someone.

"Do your research. Don't go into things blindly. Take somebody with you," said GRPD Sgt. Scott Zogrig, adding that meeting sites should be in public areas. "Protect yourself. Again, it all boils down to a common sense approach."

Anyone with information about the Monday evening incident is asked to contact GRPD at 616.456.3400 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.