Armed men stick-up man attempting to sell weapon on street

DAYTON — Police are looking for as many as three men who used a shotgun Monday night to rob a Fairborn man who was trying to sell an assault-style rifle on the street.

Police were dispatched to the 3200 block of North Main Street at about 7:57 p.m. on a report of an armed robbery. The suspects were believed to have run south along North Main Street toward Pointview Avenue, said Dayton Sgt. Richard Blommel.

The robbery and report of where the assailants fled prompted a search of two residences on Pointview, where a K-9 tracked the suspects. A search of the two homes did not turn up the rifle, though police took pictures of the residents.

The 29-year-old victim told police he had listed the Colt AR-15 for sale for $775 on a firearms website that afternoon. He told police he was selling the weapon for his parents. Within a couple hours, he got a phone call from a prospective buyer, who suggested they meet at an address on Valley Street. When the victim arrived at the Valley Street address, the buyer was nowhere to be found. The victim then called the prospective buyer, who told him he had car trouble and suggested a meet on North Main.

When the victim arrived on North Main, he started to turn his truck around having driven past the address. As he was slowly turning through a vacant lot, he heard a tapping on his driver’s side window, he told police. He looked out the window to find a man pointing a pistol at him. The victim told police that he was about to speed off when a second man armed with a shotgun appeared at the passenger-side window, yelling “Don’t do it.” There was at least one other man at the scene, he said.

The men demanded the AR-15, taking the rifle and $30 from the victim. As the three fled, he heard one of them fire off a shot. The victim said none of the men were wearing masks, and he could identify them.

Sgt. Moe Perez, head of the robbery squad, said Tuesday detectives were showing the victim photographs of potential suspects.

Sgt. Blommel described the complainant as a “legitimate owner trying to sell a firearm,” but said the man’s choice of locations to make the sale — on the street and at night — wasn’t the best idea.

“I’m thinking that if I’m going to sell a firearm to a complete stranger, I’m going to sell it at a police station,” Blummel said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290 or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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