DEKALB COUNTY, Ga.,None — A man who tried to sell his smartphone to someone he met on Craigslist ended up using the phone to call 911 when the would-be buyer tried to rob him.
The victim told Channel 2's Tom Jones that it was the scariest moment of his life.
He said when he arrived at the QuickTrip on Lawrenceville Highway in Decatur at 10 a.m. Monday, the man who said he wanted to buy his smartphone pulled out a weapon when he identified himself.
"And he pointed the assault rifle on me, loaded," the victim, who did not want to be identified, said. He couldn't believe the man threatened to shoot him over the G2 smartphone, which he said costs $250. "Almost cost me my life," he said.
The victim said when the robber pulled out an assault weapon and pointed it at him, he quickly sped off.
As he called 911, he drove toward nearby North DeKalb Mall. That's when he noticed the robber right behind him.
He said when the gunman pointed the assault rifle at him, he stopped his car in front of Macy's.
"I was worried if he was gonna shoot my back glass. I just stopped," he said.
He said the robber pointed the rifle at him and forced him from his car. "He kept cussing at me and he told me to get on the ground," the victim said.
The robber screamed for the phone, he said.
The victim believes the robber heard the police sirens and quickly drove off without the phone, but with his car keys. QuikTrip customers couldn't believe someone could be so bold.
"Broad daylight with the mall open? (Makes me) very, very nervous," customer Tom McGill said.
The victim said the encounter has left him a nervous wreck.
"Anybody would be shaken if they got out and saw a rifle pointed at them," he said.
There are surveillance cameras outside of Macy's that may have captured the incident.
The victim said he has sold items on Craigslist for two years and hasn't had any problems. He urges people to be careful and always meet potential customers in public areas where there are lots of people.
It was pointed out to him that he did just that and still became a victim.
"I was and still crazy things might happen. So you just have to be careful," he said.