2 men arrested after kidnapping, robbery in Facebook Marketplace deal in Doral, police say

Two men are facing kidnapping and robbery charges after allegedly ambushing a buyer during a Facebook Marketplace transaction in Doral.

According to Doral Police Chief Matthew Castillo, one of the suspects had previously sold the victim a phone and later asked whether he wanted to purchase additional phones.

When the victim met the suspect outside an apartment complex to complete the deal and opened the front passenger door, he discovered a second man hiding in the backseat, armed with a firearm.

"When our victim met him downstairs at the apartment, when he went to the front passenger door to get in the car to do the transaction, he noticed someone was in the backseat, hiding armed with a firearm," Castillo said.

Police said the men drove the victim several blocks through Doral on Oct. 9 while threatening him.

The victim attempted to escape from the moving vehicle near Northwest 87th Avenue and Northwest 58th Street, but the suspects dragged him back inside. The victim then grabbed his satchel filled with cash and threw it out the window.

"He actually used his own cash, threw it out the window to distract the person in the backseat, and that's how he was able to escape," Castillo said.

Lazaro Nunez Martinez was later arrested and charged with kidnapping and robbery. He appeared before a judge on Monday. Officers also located and arrested the second suspect, Darian Ernesto Morejon Rodriguez, on Monday in Broward County.

Police advise the public to avoid sharing personal information with strangers on sites like Facebook Marketplace and to use secure meeting locations for local transactions.

"And if you do a transaction with a stranger, you can use our police station lobby," Castillo said. "A lot of police stations, a lot of municipalities offer that as a safe space to do a transaction, where it's secure."