COBB COUNTY, Ga.,None — A Marietta woman was traumatized after a Craigslist deal turned dangerously sour.
Woman Attacked, Barricaded In Craigslist Exchange
The victim, Nicole Manning, said she was attacked after a meet-up with a man she thought was a buyer.
"I was just like, 'Oh my God. I just want it to be over,'" she told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt.
Manning said she was looking to sell a few exotic birds and some jewelry. Like many, she turned to Craigslist to advertise. She said suspect Diante Thompson responded, saying he wanted to check out the items, describing himself as the father of a young girl from Norcross.
They arranged a meeting at her apartment, Manning said. She said the transaction was going well until the buyer pulled a gun.
"I really thought he was going to kill me," she told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt.
Manning said Thompson grilled her about what she had in the apartment, then took her to a back bedroom and stuffed her in a closet and barricaded the door. As she sat in the closet, he grabbed anything of value, including a laptop, jewelry, silver, a cellphone, and left, Manning said.
Manning said she asked her attacker if he was going to hurt her, but he said no.
"‘This is just what I do,'" the robber replied, according to Manning.
But a fingerprint left behind on the kitchen table led Marietta investigators to match a fingerprint from a previous arrest. Thomas was eventually tracked down in Florida, arrested and recently taken to the Cobb County Jail.
Manning said she can relax a little bit since the arrest.