Arnold Police are seeking two men who allegedly robbed an Arnold teenager at gunpoint in the parking lot at the Villas Apartments in the 1200 block of Airglades Drive. The incident happened about 4:15 p.m. Jan. 9, a report said.
The 17-year-old male victim told police he met a Pevely woman at the apartment complex to buy a cell phone she had listed for sale on Facebook. When the teen arrived at the complex, the woman asked him to get into her vehicle. The two male suspects, one 20 of Valley Park and the other 19 of St. Louis, already were inside the vehicle, according to the report.
Once the victim got inside, one of the men allegedly pointed a handgun at his face and demanded money. The other man allegedly punched the victim in the head and face. The victim allegedly gave the two suspects $230 in cash and got out of the vehicle, which fled the scene, the report said.
The victim was not seriously hurt, Detective Lt. James Jones said.
He said Arnold Police interviewed the woman, and it appears she did not realize the two suspects planned to rob the victim. So, as of Friday (Jan. 19), she had not been arrested.
The two male suspects have been identified, and Arnold Police have listed them as wanted. However, as of Friday, they had not been taken into custody, Jones said.
He advises people who are buying items from strangers to meet on the parking lot of the Arnold Police Department or other law enforcement agencies.
“If they don’t want to meet at a police department, then maybe something’s wrong,” he said.