Selling online? Windsor Police point to their Safe Internet Exchange Zone after marketplace robbery arrest
Selling something online? Windsor Police say to meet at their Safe Internet Exchange Zone, 2696 Jefferson Blvd., watched by live video 24/7. Police say a seller was choked and robbed at an Oct. 17 meetup. Darcy Inshimwe, 21, is charged.
Topics: Public safety
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Windsor Police are reminding people who buy and sell online to meet at the police Safe Internet Exchange Zone, after a robbery during an online marketplace meetup in Windsor last week.
The news
Shortly before 9 a.m. on Oct. 17, officers were called to a fight in the 2100 block of Wellesley Avenue, Windsor Police said in a news release. Police said a woman had arranged to meet a man to sell a cellphone she had advertised online.
During the meeting, police said, the man assaulted her, grabbed the phone and tried to run. When she tried to stop him, police said he dragged her across a lawn, choked her and threatened to shoot her, claiming to have a gun. A neighbour who chased him and tried to hold him was punched several times in the face, police said, and the man threatened to shoot that neighbour and a third person who tried to help before he ran off. He wore a face mask.
The Major Crimes Unit identified a suspect, and officers from the Problem-Oriented Policing Unit arrested him shortly before noon on Oct. 20 in the 3000 block of Meadowbrook Lane, police said.
Darcy Inshimwe, 21, is charged with robbery, assault by choking, assault, two counts of uttering threats and wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence. The charges have not been proven in court.
What it means for you
If you're meeting a stranger to buy or sell something you found online, Windsor Police encourage you to use the Safe Internet Exchange Zone at the Traffic Collision Reporting Centre, 2696 Jefferson Blvd. Police say it has two designated spots for online purchase transactions and is monitored by live video and audio surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Anyone with information about the Oct. 17 robbery is asked to call the Major Crimes Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4830. Anonymous tips can go to Windsor and Essex County Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 or catchcrooks.com.
