FREMONT — A man suspected of stealing two iPhones at gunpoint last week was arrested because the victim had the presence of mind to lure him into the view of nearby surveillance cameras, police said.
Michael Le, 24, of Hayward, was arrested Oct. 9, hours after police said he met the victim around 1:25 p.m. in the parking lot of the U.S. Bank at 41298 Paseo Padre Parkway. Le was reportedly meeting the victim to purchase the phones after meeting up through a Craigslist ad. When the victim arrived, police said Le had his car door open, but the victim insisted they at least look at receipts for the phones inside the bank.
“A lot of the credit for this one really needs to go to the victim for getting this guy into the bank,” Fremont police spokeswoman, Sgt. Geneva Bosques said. “We were able to use that tape and get a good look at his face, and once we had that, it really didn’t take long to track down where he was.”
Police said Le pulled out a gun after the two left the bank and were standing in the parking lot, ordered the victim into his own car, then took the phones. But the video let police know who they were looking for, and they used an email address obtained during the exchange between Le and the victim to find him.
Le remained in Santa Rita Jail without bail on Wednesday after being charged with using a firearm during a robbery, second-degree robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing stolen property.
Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4789 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rderh
STAYING SAFE ON CRAIGSLIST
Police advice for anyone selling or purchasing items through a Craigslist exchange:
