A 20-year-old man was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint of $4,500 in cash after responding to a Craigslist advertisement for a vehicle for sale Saturday, according to police.
After communicating with the person who posted the advertisement, the man and two of his adult male relatives arrived about 3 p.m. at the intersection of Eutaw Place and Laurens Street in the Bolton Hill neighborhood for an arranged meeting, police said.
There, two men with guns robbed the man of the cash and assaulted him and his two relatives, police said.
A police investigation is under way, and police are warning the public about meeting strangers after communicating with them online.
"Always, always, always meet in a public place where you think there's going to be a large amount of people around or there are cameras," said Det. Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman.
Silbert said people intending to exchange money during such a meeting should bring a certified check instead of cash, and never allow a stranger into a personal vehicle.
Silbert said detectives are using all possible leads to find the alleged robbers.
"There are several things they'll be looking at, from the initial ad on Craigslist to any subsequent conversations with" the victims, Silbert said.
Silbert said he did not know whether the victim had spoken to the alleged robbers on the phone before the meeting, and that other details about the interaction were being withheld to protect the investigation.
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