DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Moses Ohler, 21, thought it was just another transaction on the app, Letgo but it turned into an armed carjacking. Daytona Beach police said it happened Thursday afternoon outside the John H. Dickerson Library.
"They made this whole elaborate little plan," said Moses Ohler.
Ohler said he was supposed to meet one man in the parking lot but saw three men approach his car.
"One of them got in and was, like, looking on the inside. I thought he was just looking at it. And then he started it up," said Ohler.
Ohler said that while he was watching that man, a second man came up behind him, holding a gun. He said wrestled with the gunman as a third man tried held Ohler back.
"As soon as I felt the gun release from my back, I tried to pull the guy and get the keys but that's when he put the gun back up to me but he, like, lifted it up to my neck area," he said.
THREAD (continued): We don't want something like this to happen to you.
— Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) November 8, 2019
This is why we have two designated public meeting areas at our headquarters (129 Valor Boulevard) for people looking to buy and sell things, either online or through an app. pic.twitter.com/UUOvi4drfg
Once Ohler stopped fighting, the two men jumped into his car through the windows and the trio sped away. Ohler then called police.
"I thought I was being pretty safe. We're meeting at a library parking lot. There was people around. Like, there was people everywhere but they just didn't care."
Police recovered Ohler's car hours later and found a bag left behind by one of the suspects. Now, the search is on for the three men. But police said they also learned a witness could've been the next victim.
"She had also been on Letgo to sell a phone and we believe it's to the same or at least one of the people who took the car," said Messod Bendayan, spokesperson for the Daytona Beach Police.
Police said that, if residents want to buy and sell through these apps, they should do it at a police station, which is always monitored.
"Fortunately, in this case, we had a victim who wasn't hurt. All that happened was that his car got stolen but it could've easily been a lot worse," said Bendayan.