Robbers Use Craigslist to Lure Victim to Ventura, Sonoma

A Watsonville woman was robbed at gunpoint in Albany earlier this month after two men used a to lure her to town, authorities said Tuesday.

Sgt. Tom Dolter said, via email, that a 34-year-old woman had been using Craigslist to shop for a used car. She found a post for a Honda for sale for $3,500 in Berkeley and was told by the seller that he could show her the car after 4:30 p.m. on March 10.

The woman and a friend from Seaside, CA, drove to the Berkeley area and called a man claiming to be selling a car.

They directed her to a home in the 1000 block of Ventura Avenue, near Sonoma Avenue, to see the car "at his home."

When the pair got to the address, two men ran up to them and each displayed semi-automatic handguns. 

"They demanded the money and were given $3,800 cash," wrote Dolter. The robbers also took a wallet and iPhone.

The men ran away north on Ventura. They were described as black men in the their mid-20s, 6 feet tall and 180 to 200 pounds, wearing dark beanies, dark hoodie-style jackets with the hoods pulled up, and dark pants.

Police said the robbers provided the Albany address simply to get the victims to the area, and do not live on that block. 

Police ask anyone with information that may be relevant to crimes in Albany to call 510-525-7300.

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If there's something in this article you think , or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email albany@patch.com.