A Mission Viejo, Calif. woman was robbed after meeting two men she met for an online sales transaction, police say.
The 18-year-old woman met June 23 with two teenage men, aged 17 and 19, in Craycraft Park to exchange nicotine vape cartridges, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Ryan Anderson told The Epoch Times.
When the woman began exchanging Venmo information with the 17-year-old, he allegedly snatched the purse from her car.
Both men ran toward their own car while the victim’s friend gave chase in an attempt to retrieve the purse. During the struggle, he was dragged about 40 feet by the culprits’ car and suffered minor injuries.
“The suspects drove off but an alert bystander took a photograph of the vehicle and provided great information to responding deputies,” police said in an online post.
Deputies located the vehicle within 15 minutes and arrested both men, who were later positively identified by the victim, police said.
Augustin Andrew Quiroz-Escalante, 19, was arrested and taken to Orange County Jail. The 17-year-old, whose name cannot be released, was taken to Orange County Juvenile Hall.
The incident prompted police to remind the public about conducting sales transactions in public places with surveillance cameras.
