An 18-year-old who went to a McDonald’s parking lot to help his brother sell sneakers was held at gunpoint and forced out of his vehicle; the stolen SUV was spotted the next day and the victim struggled to reach police.
An 18-year-old was carjacked at gunpoint during a planned Facebook Marketplace exchange outside a McDonald’s in southwest Edmonton on Sept. 28.
The victim was in his 2006 Toyota Highlander and says a masked person pointed a gun, demanded his phone, then forced him out while another suspect drove off in the SUV.
A bystander captured video of the carjacking as the suspects entered the stolen SUV and fled, and the incident left the victim traumatized.
An 18-year-old Edmonton resident who had saved up for a 2006 Toyota Highlander was carjacked during what he thought would be a routine Facebook Marketplace sale of a pair of sneakers. The meeting was set for the McDonald's parking lot on James Mowatt Trail in the Rutherford area. The incident occurred on Monday, Sept. 28, shortly after 7 p.m.
The brothers arrived for the exchange and believed they were meeting potential buyers. While the brother was outside handling the exchange, a masked person approached the teen who was sitting in the driver's seat. According to the victim, the person asked for his phone. When the teen refused, the suspect pointed a gun and ordered him to get out of the vehicle. Two suspects then got into the Toyota Highlander and drove off.
Someone in a nearby vehicle captured video showing the two suspects getting into the SUV and speeding away. The victim says Edmonton police arrived at the scene within about 20 minutes of the incident.
When he called 911, he was told the situation was not an emergency and to call the Edmonton Police non-emergency number (#377). He reported being placed on hold for about an hour before speaking to someone. When he did connect, he said police advised him not to approach the vehicle and to wait for officers to arrive.
The teen, who recently graduated high school, described the emotional impact: he felt scared and frustrated after the confrontation and by the difficulty contacting police when he believed the vehicle had been located.
The report describes where the vehicle was seen parked the following day and that the victim reported it to police, but it does not describe whether the vehicle was recovered that day, whether any arrests were made, or whether police released additional details about suspects or ongoing investigation.
If you arrange in-person exchanges, choose well-lit, public, and busy locations and consider bringing someone with you. Keep emergency numbers handy and be aware of local non-emergency reporting procedures if you need to report a recovered vehicle or suspicious activity.
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