This was compiled from reports to the Tacoma Police Department.


June 5: Pop quiz – select the best way to buy a mobile phone:

A. Pick one up at the electronics store.
B. Order it online and have it shipped.
C. Buy it from some guy in Tacoma who tells you to meet him on a street corner at 11:30 p.m.

The 20-year-old Federal Way man chose option C. He posted an ad on Craigslist.org, saying he was looking for an iPhone. Soon enough, he had a call and an offer: Come on down and get it, 900 block of North K Street.

The buyer drove and met the seller. The seller was 30 or 40. He wore a dark green jacket and a baseball cap.

The buyer asked to see the phone. The seller asked to see the money. The debate drifted until the seller got bored and pulled a gun.

The seller took off with $700, hopped into what looked like a ’90s-vintage Chevrolet Malibu and split. The buyer called police.