HALTOM CITY, Texas — A meetup to buy clothes listed in an online ad went wrong Friday night after Haltom City police said the buyer was shot at while trying to leave the location.
Police said the incident began around 11:30 p.m. when the victim, a resident of Dallas, went to a Haltom City apartment complex in the 5600 block of Coventry Park Drive to buy "expensive jeans" that were on an OfferUp ad.
The victim was "initially suspicious" of the meetup but decided to continue with the transaction despite the time of day, police said.
According to police, the victim noticed the jeans "were not as described" and decided to drive away without purchasing them. Police said as the victim drove off, gunshots were fired by the suspect at the victim's vehicle.
Police said the victim was hit but that the bullet "lost enough velocity" and became lodged in the victim's jacket, leaving only a bruise.
Police did not say if there were any arrests made.
"We want to remind everyone that buying and selling online has potential and sometimes significant risk. Take precautions to ensure your safety and pay attention to clues that the seller or buyer may have other intentions," the Haltom City Police Department said in news release.
The department also shared some tips for people meeting in person to buy or sell through online ads:
- Never share confidential information with another person
- Don't share your phone number. Chat through the respective apps.
- 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 to meet during a busy time of the day.
- Use a built-in meetup feature on apps to find community meetup spots
- Always buy and sell in a well-lit and monitored public location like grocery stores.
