Online cell-phone deal becomes vehicle heist on Broadway Street, police say

A man who arranged to buy a cell-phone online showed up at the agreed-upon meeting place on Broadway Street only to be robbed of his car at gunpoint Saturday, New Orleans police said.

The victim, a man in his 40s, had made a deal to buy a cell phone from a stranger through a website, and went to the intersection of Broadway and Palm streets around 1 p.m. Saturday to complete the purchase, according to the initial NOPD report. Instead, he was met by an unknown man with a gun who demanded his belongings, the report states.

“After a brief struggle, the victim was able to get possession of the gun,” the report states. “The subject took the victim’s vehicle and fled.”

The robber drove the victim’s car away on Palm Street, but police later located it, the report states.

Further details were not immediately available. Anyone with information is urged to call the NOPD Second District station at 658-6020 to speak to a detective, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.