A Coquitlam man is out thousands of dollars after a Craigslist deal for Stanley Cup Game 7 tickets turned into an armed robbery.
At approximately 12:15 Tuesday afternoon, Coquitlam RCMP responded to a call to the corner of Lougheed Highway and Schoolhouse Street in Coquitlam.
There, the alleged victim told Mounties that he had arranged through a Craigslist ad to pay $4,400 for two tickets for Wednesday night's final Stanley Cup game between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. He spoke on the phone with the purported ticket-holder who suggested they meet in the parking lot of the nearby SilverCity Coquitlam Cinemas to make the transaction.
Once there, the suspect got into the victim's car and immediately produced a weapon, saying it was for his own protection, according to Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Const. Kristina Biro.
The suspect then asked to see the money, taking the cash when the victim complied.
"The [suspect had] an enveleope to make the victim think that there were tickets, but it was actually empty. There were none," Const. Biro told The Tri-City News.
In the course of the robbery, the suspect even told the victim that he planned to rob three more victims in the same fashion, Biro said.
The victim was not hurt in the robbery and the suspect fled on foot.
Mounties called in search support from the RCMP Air-1 helicopter and the Integrated Police Dog Service but have not found the suspect.
He is described as a 35-year-old Caucasian man, 6'0" to 6'3" with a slim build, chipped front teeth, short black hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing blue jeans and a black hoodie with a small white design in the middle of the back.
Police are not saying what kind of weapon the suspect used.
Mounties are warning the public not to go alone when making purchases arranged through online classified services like Craigslist and to insist on meeting in a busy public place.
Anyone with information related to this ongoing investigation is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550, or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
