WASHINGTON — A 20-year-old man was arrested by Montgomery County Police after he carjacked two people whose car he had agreed to purchase through an ad on social media.
Detectives charged Markeith Dwayne Jones with armed carjacking. Jones met the victims at a shopping center in Wheaton under the guise of completing the online purchase, police said.
On Thursday, just before 10:30 p.m., Montgomery County Police officers responded to the shopping center for a reported carjacking. The two victims told the officers that they had placed their 2008 BMW 335i fore sale on Facebook Marketplace and Jones responded. Jones and the victims agreed on a purchase price and met up. When the victims met Jones, he first asked questions about the vehicle and began to inspect it, police said. Then he asked the victims to turn on the car. He pointed a handgun at them, and ordered them to get away from the car. Then he took off in the stolen BMW.
About five minutes later, officers in unmarked police vehicles located the stolen car in Silver Spring. As the car headed toward D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to help.
Jones was arrested in D.C. after a foot chase. Police said he threw his gun in a trash can as he ran. It was recovered by officers.
Just two days earlier, a mother of four was shot and hospitalized in Fairfax County when she was carjacked in an Alexandria shopping center by someone who claimed to want to buy her Mercedes.
The Montgomery County Police Department reminds residents that selling things online can be a welcome opportunity for people looking to commit crimes.
Both the Metropolitan Police Department has safe exchange zones for residents to complete online purchases. Exchange zones are also located at six Montgomery County police stations.
