Teen targeted online sellers, robbing them at gunpoint, Marietta police say

MARIETTA, Ga. - A 17-year-old was arrested after detectives say he robbed people he met through Facebook Marketplace.

Marietta police say the teen would pretend to want to buy products. Police say the teen would set up a time and place to meet the buyer, but they say he did not bring cash to the meet ups, he brought a gun.

Seventeen-year-old Irwin Mayo-Lopez was booked into the Cobb County Jail.

"This is someone who had a pattern of realizing that if he could get someone willing to meet him in a weird location, then he could simply show up, steal those items from them at gunpoint, and then disappear," said Officer McPhilamy.

In one case, police say Mayo-Lopez met a seller on Allgood Road saying he wanted to buy a pair of $1,100 Balenciaga track shoes. Investigators say he tried on the shoes, pulled out a gun, demanded the man's wallet, then took off running with the pricey sneakers.

Just a few days later, investigators say the teen met his next victim at Seminole Place. Police say he pretended he wanted to buy AirPods and a 14-karat gold and diamond ring. When the seller showed up, investigators say the teen pulled out a gun and took the goods.

Mayo-Lopez has almost a dozen charges against him, and investigators say he is a person of interest in multiple other cases.

"We do believe there are other cases, that this is not an isolated to one or two times, but that we have additional victims that simply haven't come forward yet," said Officer McPhilamy. 

Online sales sites like Facebook Marketplace are hugely popular, especially this time of year. But the police say you have to be careful. They warn everyone that, whether you're buying or selling and have to meet up with strangers, you should make sure those transactions are done in a safe place.

"Go to a police department, a sheriff's office, somewhere that's well lit. If you're not comfortable doing that, go to any big box retail store and park underneath one of the cameras and ask them to meet you there, where again, it would be video recorded, and you're on a large public safe place, so that you weed out those bad actors," said Officer McPhilamy.