Man pepper-sprayed, dragged by car in Winter Springs Facebook Marketplace theft: Police

Facebook Marketplace sale ends in pepper spray, robbery: Police

Three suspects were arrested in Winter Springs after meeting someone to buy a PlayStation 5, but instead of buying it, they allegedly prepper-sprayed the guy and ran off with the game console, police said. The guy ran after them, trying to get in console back, but was dragged for several hundred feet, officials said. All three were caught and arrested. Two of the suspects are suspects in a similar case in Ocoee, where a man was robbed of his laptop after meeting them to sell it, police said.

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. - Surveillance video captured the moment three people allegedly met with someone outside a Winter Springs Publix to purchase a PlayStation 5, when the online sale allegedly turned into a robbery. 

Police said the three suspects pepper-sprayed the man then ran, while the victim ran after them. He was allegedly dragged for several hundred feet, before he was pushed away from the vehicle, police said.

Two of those arrested are suspected of conducting a similar heist in Ocoee.

Man robbed of PlayStation 5 outside Winter Springs Publix

What we know:

Christopher Stephan Lewis, Maud Chelle Jean Baptiste and Natalya Joi Hayles came to Winter Springs on Feb. 17 to meet up with the seller, according to a police report.

After meeting up with the seller, Lewis and Baptiste decided not to pay and ran off with the PS5, according to the police report. They got into a white Nissan that was waiting nearby, police said.

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The seller chased after them and, as the car was speeding away, reached inside to retrieve his PlayStation, according to police. He was pepper-sprayed and dragged several hundred feet before he was pushed from the car, according to police.

The seller suffered minor injuries.

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Police said officers tracked the car to Apopka and found a can of pepper spray and the stolen PS5 during a search.  The three suspects were taken into custody.

Lewis and Baptiste were charged with robbery. The third suspect, Hayles, was charged with accessory after the fact for reportedly driving the getaway car.

Police released surveillance video that appears to show the robbery.

The department is urging people to conduct internet exchanges in the designated "Internet Purchase Exchange" area of the police department parking lot for safety.

"If the person you're dealing with is not comfortable meeting at a police station, you may want to reconsider doing business with them," police said in a release. 

DÉJÀ VU? SIMILAR ROBBERY INVESTIGATED IN OCOEE

Less than 24 hours before the violent midday meet-up in Winter Springs, both suspects are accused in a similar incident – this time in Ocoee.

Same MO, same Facebook Marketplace set up, same grocery chain – just a different city, the police said.

Around 4:30 p.m. on February 16, at the Publix on West Colonial Drive, the two agreed to meet up with someone to purchase a MacBook Pro, worth about $1,400. 

Police said the suspects again pepper-sprayed the victim and ran off.

"We recovered the stolen laptop," said Sergeant David Ogletree with Ocoee PD.

According to Sgt. Ogletree, the victim was found by officers in the bathroom flushing his eyes with water. 

"The victim didn’t make any mistakes, it seemed like it was the right opportunity to sell his laptop to people online," Ogletree said. "I can’t get in the mindset of a criminal about why they would pick a location in daytime in a public place."

Staying safe: Here's what you should do

Both Ocoee and Winter Springs police said there was nothing wrong with how either person agreed to meet up. They did everything usually advised when it comes to online sales meetups.

The only thing they could have done differently to add another layer of protection, said Ogletree, was to have met up in a ‘safe exchange zone’ at a police department or sheriff’s office.

"24-hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s monitored; we have cameras… there’s always an officer here, usually," Ogletree said. "Come to these zones! If someone doesn’t want to meet you here, that should set off a red flag."