GUELPH – Guelph Police is investigating after a London man had a pellet gun pulled on him while attempting to buy a phone in a Guelph parking lot Thursday.
Just after noon, police received several calls about a male with a possible firearm in the parking lot of a business on Clair Road West. Several officer responded and stopped a man as he drove from the area, placing him under arrest.
Police say the man explained he had gone to the parking lot to purchase an iPhone 17 after making arrangements through Facebook Marketplace, meeting up with the seller and her boyfriend.
“The man said he examined the phone and believed it to be fake. When he refused to buy it the boyfriend punched him several times and pulled out a gun,” police said in a news release.
The victim said he grabbed the other man’s hand and was able to disarm him before realizing it was actually a pellet gun. He threw it on the ground and left the area in his car. He was released without charges.
The investigation is ongoing.
Online purchase safety tips
- Do not meet in a secluded place or invite strangers to your home. Suggest a meet-up during the day at a public location, ideally with video surveillance. The Guelph Police Service offers a Buy & Sell Zone outside the police station on Fountain Street East.
- Have someone come with you to the meet-up. If you can’t have someone come with you, let friends or family know where the meeting is taking place and any details about the buyer or seller.
- Take screenshots of the advertisements and any contact information provided by the other party.
- If you are the buyer, do not disclose to the seller how you will be paying if it’s not necessary. If the seller is aware you are attending with cash it creates an opportunity for a robbery to take place.
- Take note of any vehicles or people associated to the transaction as it is certainly possible that the name they are using online could be false.
