2 men charged with robbery after Offer Up transaction turns violent

<p>Police say two men tried to rob and kidnap a man in a busy Norwalk parking lot in broad daylight. Hector Pagan-Sanchez and Rafael Santana-Cuevas, of the Bronx, allegedly robbed the victim's pockets and tried to force him into the back seat of their car near the Main Avenue Starbucks.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Dec 20, 2017, 7:40 PM

Updated 2,331 days ago

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Police say two men tried to rob and kidnap a man in a busy Norwalk parking lot in broad daylight.
Hector Pagan-Sanchez and Rafael Santana-Cuevas, of the Bronx, allegedly robbed the victim's pockets and tried to force him into the back seat of their car near the Main Avenue Starbucks.
Police say the suspects first contacted the victim through the shopping app Offer Up. The victim was selling iPhones.
According to police, Pagan-Sanchez bought a phone from the victim Monday, then returned Tuesday with Santana-Cuevas for two more.
Instead of a friendly sales exchange, they pinned the victim against the car and looted his pockets, police say.
Police say the two men told them they believed the phones they were given were fake.
Authorities say people should be especially careful this holiday season when looking to buy or sell with anyone they meet online.
"There have been individuals where online shopping has occurred, and they meet people they don't know in desolate places to conduct transactions, and they get robbed for it," says Lt. Terry Blake of the Norwalk Police Department.
The Main Avenue Starbucks is hardly a desolate place, but police say the victim is lucky that it happened in the middle of the day. They say people should instead try to meet at a designated safe space for e-commerce. Norwalk police offer one in the department's South Main Street parking lot. 


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