A string of athletic shoe robberies that begin with sellers offering shoes for sale on Facebook has resulted in four arrests so far in Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett police said four robberies occurred in the Sweetwater Road/Club Drive area over the course of a month. The scheme involved people looking to sell athletic shoes on Facebook, and prospective buyers who offered to pay more than the seller asked.
In each of the cases, the seller would show up with the shoes at an agreed-upon location and the phony buyer would snatch the shoes and run, police said. One victim chased the thieves on foot, but was confronted by one of the suspects with a handgun. Another victim was robbed at gunpoint, authorities said.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the robberies: Rashawn Jones, 20, Tyrese Watkins, 17, and a 15-year-old all face charges of robbery by sudden snatching, according to a news release from the Gwinnett County Police Department. Watkins, the 15-year-old and a 16-year-old face armed robbery charges.
Watkins and Jones were arrested and taken to the Gwinnett County Detention Center. The two juveniles were being detained in the Gwinnett Regional Youth Detention Center.
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