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Facebook Marketplace shoppers terrorized at gunpoint after teens lure victims with holiday gift items: police

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Facebook Marketplace shoppers terrorized at gunpoint after teens lure victims with holiday gift items: police

Two teen suspects out of Houston are on the run after allegedly staging Facebook Marketplace scams and then robbing victims, according to police.

Arlando Lyles, 17, is wanted for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and theft from a person, and Christian Ray Pickett, 18, is wanted for theft from a person. Additional charges are pending, according to the Houston Police Department (HPD).

Lyles and Pickett are at least two suspects wanted in a series of incidents stemming from Facebook Marketplace, in which suspects pose as sellers with fake profiles, meet up with buyers in person and then rob the buyers, HPD’s Robbery Division said in a press release.

HPD officers believe there may be more suspects involved who are posing as fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace. Investigators say the robberies have occurred at 15 locations involving 15 different victims, at least, since Sept. 21.

HOW TO AVOID BEING A VICTIM OF THIS SNEAKY FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE SCAM

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Christian Ray Pickett, 18, and Arlando Lyles, 17, are wanted for their roles in a string of alleged Facebook Marketplace robberies. ( Houston PD)

Facebook Marketplace is a subsection of Facebook where any user can buy or sell items from other users. 

While the social media selling platform does have certain protections in place for buyers, it is rife with scammers who use fake profile pictures and names to pose as different people online. For example, a scammer might use a fake profile picture showing an elderly couple or young family in an effort to look like a realistic seller. 

CONCEALED CARRY HOLDER IN ILLINOIS TURNS TABLES ON WOULD-BE FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE ROBBER

HPD says the 15 robberies since September occurred in “a variety of apartment complex parking lots in Southeast Houston.”

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Lyles allegedly pulled a gun on the mother of a family of five who traveled to a meeting location together in their vehicle while the woman’s 15-year-old son was just a few feet away. The father and their two other children, ages 8 and 10, ducked for cover inside the vehicle, according to ABC 13.

Houston Police Department says the 15 robberies since September occurred in “a variety of apartment complex parking lots in Southeast Houston.” (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

They intended to buy a PlayStation 5 from Lyles, whom the 15-year-old mother had been chatting with on Facebook Marketplace extensively before they met up, mostly in Spanish. However, when they arrived at the meeting location and Lyles did not speak Spanish, the 15-year-old had a feeling something was wrong, according to ABC 13.

THE DARK WORLD OF FACEBOOK ADS WHERE SCAMMERS ARE TRYING TO STEAL YOUR MONEY

“It’s cash in hand, ma’am. I just recently had a lot of bad experiences, not anything toward you,” Lyles allegedly said in one message before meeting up at a parking lot location he allegedly suggested.

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The 15-year-old and his mother got out of their vehicle to complete the transaction when things went south. Lyles allegedly demanded to see the $250 they brought in cash to buy the PlayStation before he handed it over.

Scammers are using the Facebook Marketplace to steal your information. (CyberGuy.com)

“I got [out of] the car, then my mom got off the car and when I was about to open it, he reached into his pocket, pulls [a gun] out, then aims it at mom, like to give him the money, and then he ran with the PS5 too,” the 15-year-old told ABC 13.

“Once the buyer arrives at the location, the suspects then rob the victim by pointing a firearm at them and then taking their money,” the HPD Robbery Division said in a press release.

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Their whereabouts were unknown as of Wednesday morning, and police are still asking the public for help looking for the two wanted teenagers. They are asking anyone who may have seen Lyles or Pickett to contact police.

In a video PSA posted to HPD’s X account on Nov. 26, Robbery Detective C. Lee recommended buyers suggest meeting Facebook Marketplace sellers at a local police department to complete their transactions and “avoid becoming a victim.”

Facebook Marketplace is a subsection of Facebook where any user can buy or sell items from other users. (Nic Coury / AFP)

“Look for things like profile pictures and account activity as good signs,” Lee said. “Many of these accounts that we’re seeing are blank accounts that are only used a few times.”

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The suspects often offer deals that are “too good to be true” and dictate the meeting place to connect with buyers, Lee said.

Police are asking anyone with information about these robberies to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston directly at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or by submitting an online tip at www.crime-stoppers.org. Information leading to an arrest may result in a cash payment of up to $5,000.

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Los Angeles, Ca

LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture

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LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture

Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.

Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.

Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.

  • Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood.
  • A sinkhole opened up on a sidewalk in West Hollywood following a water main break
  • Aerial view of flooded Metro buses.
  • Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood.
  • Water floods out of an apartment in West Hollywood
  • A broken water main floods a parking garage in West Hollywood
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Residents stand with luggage and a dog at the entrance to an apartment parking garage as floodwaters from a water main break rush through a West Hollywood street.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • A broken water main floods the streets of West Hollywood

“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”

The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.

A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.

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The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.

“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.

The two men appeared to be uninjured.

As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.

LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.

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The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues

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Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.

Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.

On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.

Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.

Meah Bordenave-Jenkins and Eric Washington are pictured in a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department bulletin. (LASD)

Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.

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“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.

The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.

Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.

Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.

Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.

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Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.

  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration

Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.

The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.

“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.

“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”

The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.

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At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.

Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.

The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.

Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.

Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.

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Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.

The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.

They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars

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Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars

A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]

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