Chief Terrence Green is announcing that a man and woman were arrested by officers of the Lexington Police Department minutes after they robbed a man during an online transaction meetup yesterday afternoon in the Town of Lexington.
At approximately 3:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to an armed robbery that had just occurred in a business parking lot on the 5400 block of Sunset Boulevard. The victim was able to give the license plate information and vehicle description to the dispatcher as the suspects left the scene. This information was then shared with responding officers.
The victim said that he had posted a new iPhone for sale online and had agreed to meet the suspects to sell it to them. The victim said that when they met, he handed the iPhone to the man who was a passenger in the vehicle. While he held the iPhone, the suspect pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the victim telling him to back up. The suspects then quickly drove away from the scene.
Officers, who were patrolling the area, saw the vehicle on Corley Mill Road and stopped it on Sunset Boulevard near I-20. During the investigation, officers arrested Gabriel Brunson, Jr., age 18 of Hopkins, and Sierra Fletcher, age 31 of Columbia. Officers found two handguns in the vehicle along with the iPhone that had been stolen from the victim.
"This armed robbery is a good reminder that there can be risks with meeting strangers from the internet to sell or buy things", said Chief Terrence Green. "Please know that the Lexington Police Department has an Internet Purchase Exchange Location that is under video monitoring 24-hours a day. Telling someone that you’ll meet them at the police department is one step that can be taken to ensure your safety during these transactions.”
Gabriel Brunson has been charged with Conspiracy, Armed Robbery, and Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime.
Sierra Fletcher has been charged with Conspiracy, Armed Robbery, Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime, and Possession of a Weapon by a Person Convicted of a Violent Felony.
Gabriel Brunson and Sierra Fletcher were transported to the Lexington County Detention Center and when seen at Lexington County Bond Court, each suspect was denied bond and will remain in jail.
