A man and his grandmother were robbed Friday by an alleged scam artist who brought her infant child to the setup, police said.
Elijah Houpe, 21, and Elaine Austin, 68, drove to Atlanta from DeKalb County to buy a Chevrolet Impala in a deal arranged via the purchasing app LetGo, according to an Atlanta police report.
They met a woman who said her name was Aaliyah Hall on Lena Street in southwest Atlanta. Hall had her infant child with her in the Impala, police said.
After a test drive, Hall told Houpe she didn’t have the bill of sale and needed him to follow her to another place. Houpe agreed and, using the LetGo app to communicate, drove around for an hour before Hall said her mother would meet them all with the bill of sale in a church parking lot on Venetian Drive, the report states.
Two of the people Hall brought to the parking lot pointed handguns at Houpe and one man pulled him from his grandmother’s car, police said.
The armed man yelled, “Give it up or I’m going to kill you,” Houpe told police. Houpe handed over the $1,800 in cash that he brought to buy the Impala as the other gunman snatched Austin’s cellphone, the report states.
That suspect then threatened, “Give me the key or I am going to shoot out the tires,” Austin told police.
The gunmen then ran back to the Impala where Hall and her infant waited and they drove away.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit crimestoppersatlanta.org. Tipsters can also remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.
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