A 17-year-old was arrested earlier this week in Vancouver after allegedly trying to sell a fake iPhone and pulling out a gun.
The incident occurred on Sunday, Aug. 20 around 1:45 p.m. at West 33 Avenue and Dunbar Street near Memorial West Park. A 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old met so the teen could sell the man an iPhone; the deal had been arranged via Facebook Marketplace, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).
After the man gave the teen the money, the man was allegedly handed a fake iPhone.
When the man tried to get his money back, the teen allegedly pointed a gun at the man and fled.
The VPD was called; officers were able to find the 17-year-old and make an arrest.
According to the VPD, there's been an uptick in crimes committed via "in-person exchanges."
"We don’t have exact numbers. We know this type of crime is under-reported as a lot of people feel embarrassed when it happens to them," Const. Tania Visintin tells V.I.A. in an email. "Not only were we getting police calls about it, [but also] we would see information online (community chat groups) that it was occurring."
Since 2022, the VPD has run a safe exchange location at police headquarters at 2120 Cambie St. The location is under surveillance and free to use.
