Facebook Marketplace vendor becomes victim of car theft in Annapolis
BALTIMORE -- A Facebook Marketplace sale went awry when the person hoping to sell their two-door coupe watched the potential buyer drive off with it.
Annapolis officers were alerted to the theft around 7 a.m. on Thursday.
They learned that a person with a white 2011 Audi A5 2.0T Quattro Premium Coupe listed their vehicle for sale on the popular online market. They arranged to show it to a potential buyer, according to the Annapolis Police Department.
Police said the potential buyer arrived at the meet-up site in the passenger seat of a black Mitsubishi sports utility vehicle.
That person exited the SUV and got into the driver's seat of the coupe. The seller was going to participate in the test drive—but before they could climb into the passenger seat, the seller sped off with their car, according to authorities.
The driver of the black Mitsubishi SUV followed the seller's car. Police said they were last seen heading outbound on West Street, past Route 2.
The two-door coupe had no registration plates on it at the time that it was stolen because the seller was expecting to go through the whole sale process, according to authorities.
The theft marks at least the second time that a Facebook Marketplace sale involving a vehicle has gone wrong in Maryland within the past three months.
Carlos Carrazana Ricardo, 18, was killed after he and a friend made the 80-mile drive down to West Baltimore in November 2023 to see about purchasing a 2006 Acura TL that they saw advertised on Facebook Marketplace.
He decided against purchasing the vehicle. As he and his friend started to drive off, shots rang out, and one of the bullets hit Ricardo in the head—ultimately killing him.
Marques Harris, who was selling the vehicle, is facing charges for allegedly shooting Ricardo in the 2700 block of Harlem Avenue.
Police found Harris at his home, and they also located a gun. Harris told police that he heard gunshots after the sale had been called off.
The year before, an officer with the Maryland-National Capital Police Montgomery County Division shot two people after he was robbed of the $440 he brought with him to purchase a Playstation 5.
The shooting happened in the 1100 block of Deanwood Road, which is in Baltimore County. A grand jury declined to file criminal charges against an officer.
That same year, a person who was attempting to sell three pairs of tennis shoes through Facebook Marketplace was the victim of an armed robbery on that same block.
The Baltimore County Police Department has safe exchange zones for online transactions.
