HOUSTON – A Rice University student faced a harrowing experience while attempting to meet a stranger from Facebook Marketplace to sell a computer.
Daniel Brown is a senior at the school who was looking to sell a MacBook laptop on for his girlfriend on Facebook Marketplace. Brown said he was hoping to get some extra cash to help her fund an upcoming trip.
“[I was] just trying to help my girlfriend out, sell the laptop, get some extra money for her Singapore trip,” Brown told KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry.
Brown met the perspective buyer, who was using a Facebook profile named “James,” at MacGregor Park Tuesday, thinking that a public place would make for an easy and safe transaction.
“I drove to the park, and I felt comfortable there. I normally try to go to in public places for meetups, and it was a very busy park. Kids were around, it wasn’t particularly scary feeling. Broad daylight,” he said.
When Brown pulled up beside the buyer’s car, he said he got a weird vibe when the buyer seemed reluctant to exit his vehicle. The buyer also said he was James’ son, but did not specify what his name was. When he finally got out, the two men met at the trunk of Brown’s car.
The man asked to inspect the computer to make sure it was authentic. While he was holding it, Brown said the man shoved him away and backed up. Brown said the man reached into his waistband, revealing an outline that looked like a weapon, and threatened him.
“He says, ‘Don’t try anything. I’ll kill you if you do anything. I’ll end your life.’ And he’s like, ‘Don’t try to follow me. Don’t try to do nothing...’ It’s like a total adrenaline rush.”
Following advice from his parents, Brown said he tried to stay calm and deescalate the situation. He backed away, and the man got back into his car with the computer and drove away.
Despite the threats, Brown said he pursued the suspect in his car, thinking that was the only way he would ever have a chance of finding the robber. He called 911 as he followed behind him.
Brown followed the car as it drove recklessly through some neighborhoods.
“He would go over the curbs and everything, drive through the lawns. It was insane. It was crazy looking,” he said.
Eventually, the man pulled the car into a yard in the 4800 block of Winnetka Street, grabbed his backpack, and took off running.
Houston Police Department officers arrived at the scene of the wrecked car, but the suspect was nowhere to be found.
Witnesses reported seeing the suspect put something into his waistband as he fled on foot. An HPD helicopter was unable to locate him.
Neighbors on the street told KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry that cash was strung out all over the abandoned car. The suspect also left something else behind: the stolen laptop.
“So, the cops were just doing their thing, I saw him one of the officers reach in the car. He had his white box in his hand, I was like, ‘It’s probably an empty box.’ But then, the officer was like, ‘It’s full.’ I was, like, yay. That’s good news.”
The suspect was driving a Toyota Camry, which police later discovered had been stolen from someone who knew the suspect. They were advised to file a stolen vehicle report.
When Brown checked Facebook again, he discovered that the “James” profile had been deleted.
He says this situation has changed the way he sees safety when conducting online transactions.
“You have to be so careful,” Brown said. “For me now, in the future, I am never ever ever going to do Facebook Marketplace, or any public transactions, anywhere other than like a police station. That’s what the cops told me. Honestly, I kind of forgot that you can do that in police stations. But I think anyone doing it should always go to a police station... because it’s clear you’re not safe anymore.”
While there are leads on the suspect’s identity, no arrests have been made at this time.
