Clayton County police have arrested two Decatur-area men who allegedly robbed a couple that had responded to an advertisement for a car for sale on Craigslist, Channel 2 Action News reports.
Dalvin Walker Jr. and Rashon Andrew Brown are being held in Clayton County Jail. They are each charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle hijacking and theft by receiving stolen property, authorities said.
Walker also is charged with possession of a firearm during a crime.
The two men, both 19 years old, were arrested in connection with an incident Oct. 18, when a couple responded to a Craigslist ad for a silver, four-door, 2003 Nissan Altima listed for sale for $3,300, according to a Clayton County police report.
The couple called the person who listed the ad and negotiated a sales price of $2,800, police said. They then drove their own Nissan Altima, a white 2001 model, to an address that turned out to be a vacant home in the 8200 block of Seven Oaks Drive in Jonesboro.
There, they were met by a man who supposedly had the car for sale.
As the couple was looking at the car, a second man emerged with a black handgun and ordered the couple to hand over the $2,800 and their car keys, police said.
The two men then fled in the couple’s white Nissan -- leaving behind the silver Nissan that turned out to allegedly have been stolen in a similar Craigslist robbery in DeKalb County, Channel 2 reported.
A short time later, Clayton police recovered the couple’s car abandoned in the 2900 block of Mandy Court in Jonesboro. Besides the $2,800 cash, the woman lost her purse and an additional $100.
But fortunately for the victims, an envelope containing $2,500 cash that they had hidden in their car – “just in case the seller wanted to haggle about the price of the vehicle” -- had not been touched, the police report stated. No one was injured in the incident.
An investigation led police to the two suspects.
Brown was taken into custody Dec. 16. Walker was booked into the Clayton jail on Tuesday and had his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
James Studdard, Walker’s attorney, told Channel 2, “I will say at this point that he has pleaded not guilty.”
Studdard said his client denies using Craigslist to rob people.
“He says he is not involved in that at all,” the lawyer said.
DeKalb County police said they are investigating Walker in connection with Craiglist robberies in that county. DeKalb officers last week executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home.
“We were doing a search warrant at this home because we believe this is where the information was placed on Craigslist,” DeKalb police Lt. D.A. Steward told Channel 2.
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