Haltom City Police Offer Safety Tips After Online Jean Sale Ends In Shooting
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Haltom City police are reminding North Texans to stay safe when buying and selling online after a transaction for expensive jeans ended in gunfire on Feb. 18.
Police said that at about 11:30 p.m., a Dallas resident drove to Haltom City to meet up and purchase some expensive jeans being advertised on OfferUp. The victim was suspicious because of how late it was, but decided to go anyway.
When the victim arrived at an apartment complex located in the 5600 block of Coventry Park Drive, it quickly became clear that the jeans were not as described in the ad. The sale started to go poorly, and the victim drove off.
As they drove off however, the suspect pulled out a pistol and began firing. The victim's vehicle was hit multiple times and one of the rounds managed to pierce through the frame.
Luckily, the bullet had slowed down enough that it was not able to penetrate the jacket and the victim was left with only bruises.
Haltom City police have not named the suspect, nor have they confirmed if anyone was arrested.
Since this incident occurred as a result of an OfferUp ad, Haltom City police posted the following tips for staying safe when buying or selling online:
- You're responsible for your safety, so when you arrange a meetup, take sensible precautions. In the event of an emergency or any danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.
- Before you meet Never share confidential information with another person (i.e. passwords, social security numbers, banking information).
- Don't share your phone number. Chat through the app!
- Research the person, product, and place.
- Check out the other person's profile. What do others say about them?
- Look at the item photos. Do they give you enough detail?
- Pick a safe place during a busy time of day.
- Use the built-in meetup feature to find Community MeetUp Spots.
- Always buy and sell in well-lit, monitored, public locations such as cafes or grocery stores.