By Khalida Sarwari
A young couple from Campbell set out to San Leandro on May 23 with a large wad of cash. The plan was to complete a transaction and secure an Acura MDX they had seen posted for sale in a Craig’s List ad. That plan went awry very soon after they arrived at their meeting with the seller.
They had agreed to meet the seller in a residential neighborhood in the 1400 block of San Jose Avenue, police said. Minutes after they arrived at about 8:50 p.m., two men who appeared to be in their 20s walked up to the couple’s car. One, a tall man wearing all black, waved a chrome semi-automatic pistol at the couple and demanded their cash, while another man kept a lookout, said Lt. Jeff Tudor, a spokesman for the San Leandro Police Department.
The couple gave the man the cash, which Tudor described as “a large amount … enough to buy a car,” and the suspect, who remains unidentified, fled with his lookout companion.
The man and his wife, who appeared to be in their early 20s, also left, luckily unharmed.
“It was just a setup the entire time, it looks like,” Tudor said.
Police described the robber as African American, around 26 years old, standing at about 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds. The lookout suspect was also African American, in his late 20s, similar height, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. He had a chrome revolver, said Tudor.
It was the second such incident in San Leandro in five days, Tudor said. The first occurred nearby and involved two San Jose men.
“What we’re telling people is to be smart and think about your personal safety,” said Tudor.
Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call the San Leandro Police Department at 510.577.2740.
Couple thought they were buying a car, but were robbed at gunpoint
