SUGAR HILL — Gwinnett County Police were dispatched to the Publix in Sugar Hill in response to a reported robbery. The victim and his mother met responding officers to recount the event. The victim stated he was meeting an interested buyer he connected with on the Facebook Market app to sell two pairs of Nike shoes for $1300.
After arriving at the location on Jan. 23, the victim met two teenage Hispanic males. After presenting the shoes, the males attempted to pay the victim using counterfeit money. When confronted about the counterfeit bills, the males darted out of the store, shoes in tow.
The victim’s mother, who was waiting outside of the store saw the incident and took pictures of the males, as well as, trying to stop them as they exited the store.
The mother stated she was pushed back by one of the teenage males and hurt her foot, preventing her from pursuing them further. She did witness the males enter a white Jeep and drive away on SR 20/Cumming Highway.
Officers were able to obtain a video of the encounter from the store manager. The video showed the two males standing near the victim, then suddenly grabbing the shoes and running away from the victim and showed one male exiting through the front door while the other male exited through a side door.
The counterfeit bills left by the suspects were placed into evidence at police headquarters. The Facebook account for the individual the victim was to meet was under “Brandon Vasquez”.
— Staff Reports
