El Paso County constable deputies arrested a man accused of running over a person’s foot during a robbery at a meetup for a Facebook Marketplace sale, officials said.
Uriel Vladimir Alas, 23, was arrested on a warrant on an aggravated robbery charge and booked into the El Paso County Jail in Downtown on Tuesday, July 28, the office of Precinct 3 Constable Hector Bernal said in a news release.
The charge stems from an investigation by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office into a robbery that occurred in late June on Gateway East Boulevard near Nuevo Hueco Tanks Road and Eastlake Boulevard, the constable’s office stated. The specific meeting location was not disclosed.
A person selling a necklace on a Facebook Marketplace online sales post agreed to meet a potential buyer at the location, the constable’s office stated. The buyer, allegedly identified as Alas, forcibly snatched the necklace and while fleeing in a vehicle allegedly ran over the seller’s foot.
Facebook Marketplace robbery suspect arrested in East El Paso
Precinct 3 constable deputies working with deputies of Constable Luis Aguilar of Precinct 4 received information on the location of Alas after a traffic stop near the 3200 block of Isla Bahia Way, which is near the intersection of Yarbrough Drive and Pebble Hills Boulevard in East El Paso.
Alas was located and arrested without incident at a nearby home. He was jailed without bond on Tuesday pending a Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) hearing, referring to the new Texas law that blocks automatic setting of bail in certain violent crimes.
No attorney is yet listed for Alas in online court records.
Constable Precinct 3 stretches from Downtown to South-Central and the East Side. Precinct 4 covers parts of the East and far East Sides.
The constable’s office said that investigators suspect there may be other similar robberies and thefts linked to in-person sales via online classified ads.
Anyone who may have been a victim may contact the El Paso Police Department or the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Safety advice for in-person sales
The El Paso Police Department advices the following safety steps regarding in-person e-commerce sales:
• Meet in public locations. The lobbies of El Paso police stations are available.
• Let another person know the time, place, name and telephone number of the person you are meeting.
• Do not meet in secluded areas or at night. Do not go alone.
• Do not get into a vehicle or allow a person to get into your vehicle for a transaction.
• Do not carry cash. Buyers should inform sellers that cash will not be immediately on hand.
• Do not be concerned if safety precautions offend someone. Be skeptical if arrangements are changed at the last minute.
• Do not hesitate to cancel if something doesn’t feel right or you have a bad feeling.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Facebook Marketplace robbery suspect accused of running over foot
Reporting by Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
