The teen attempted promoting an iPhone to the 3 men done the Facebook Marketplace feature.

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — An connected enactment conscionable up connected Wednesday greeting wrong the Kitts Creek vicinity brought astir a sixteen-year-antique lad getting robbed astatine gunpoint, accordant with police.

Investigators said the lad tried selling an iPhone to 3 guys helium met connected Facebook Marketplace.

Police arrested Michael Purcell, 18; Jaylin Beal, 21; and Emannuel Purcell, 26. Authorities are maintaining them astatine the Wake County Detention Center. The 3 men are charged with equipped robbery, conspiracy to perpetrate equipped theft, possession of a stolen firearm, onslaught done pointing a gun, possession of a counterfeit tool, acquiring belongings with the assistance of mendacious pretense, possession of a firearm by felon and possession of marijuana.

The teen tried selling an iPhone to the 3 guys thru the Facebook Marketplace function.

“[It’s] conscionable a sincerely horrifying authorities of affairs for each person, an atrocious batch little a youngster,” said Morrisville Police Chief Pete Acosta.

Acosta said the 3 men attempted buying the iPhone utilizing counterfeit cash.

“When they had been faced astir that they pulled retired guns and we ended up robbing the sufferer [using] pressure,” Acosta stated.

Police accidental they stuck 3 men done an undercover research. They were caught trying to beforehand the iPhone on-line. Police additionally seized different stolen cellphone, a MacBook microcomputer and 2 guns from the identical suspects.

Acosta stated interactions with strangers person to successful nary mode originate successful a non-public place. Acosta suggested the usage of a marked integer camera-monitored spot wherein offers tin beryllium finished properly.

There are respective options for on-line customers and shoppers to discover, acquisition and beforehand products: It consists of Facebook Marketplace, Craiglist and Offerup among others.

As the find of a thirteen-12 months-antique and and 18-yr-old, Morrisville nonmigratory Clayton Sinegal said helium go disturbed to perceive what befell earlier this week.

“For a kid to beryllium selling iPhone oregon thing underage, you ought to person had your dada and ma oregon an older adult, member oregon sister with you, truthful thing similar that won’t happen,” Sinegal said.

Acosta echoed Sinegal’s sentiments.

“Don't bash these forms of transactions by mode of your self,” Acosta said. “Always person anyone see you.”

Sinegal said he’s utilized connected enactment web sites to marque purchases.

“Sometimes, you person a look astatine it, you find absorbing things,” Clayton Sinegal said.

From TVs to tires, Sinegal said helium has lucked retired snagging superb deals online, and met with the vendor successful character.

“I requested [a] constabulary serviceman that was there, ‘could helium ticker from afar arsenic one bought immoderate tires?’” sinegal stated.

Sinegal met successful nationalist alternatively than his Morrisville domestic.

“It's conscionable nary longer tons of bully signifier to use your location arsenic a gathering region,” Acosta said.