WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – A Facebook Marketplace sale turned violent last week after three people tried to run off with a PlayStation 5, according to the Winter Springs Police Department.
In a release, police said that the incident happened on Feb. 17, when the trio came to the city to buy the console from a Facebook seller.
But when they met up with the seller, they decided not to pay the victim and instead tried to flee with the PS5, police added.
“The victim, in an effort to retrieve his PS5, reached into the vehicle as the trio sped off,” the release reads. “The suspects then pepper-sprayed the victim and dragged him several hundred feet before he fell from the car, suffering minor injuries.”
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However, police said they managed to track the car to Apopka, where a search of the vehicle yielded a can of pepper spray and the stolen PS5.
As a result, the following three suspects were taken into custody:
- Christopher Stephan Lewis — Faces charge of robbery
- Maud Chelle Jean Baptiste — Faces charge of robbery
- Natalya Joi Hayles (Driver) — Faces charge of accessory after the fact
“This is a reminder: If you are buying or selling items on internet exchange sites such as Facebook Marketplace, the Winter Springs Police Department has an ‘Internet Purchase Exchange’ area in our PD parking lot located at 300 N. Moss Rd., where you can meet in a safe and monitored environment,” the release concludes. “If the person you’re dealing with is not comfortable meeting at a police station, you may want to reconsider doing business with them.”
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