A Facebook Marketplace meet-up turned into a dangerous chase and crash after a Fort Myers man reportedly robbed a seller at gunpoint in a Walmart parking lot on Wednesday.
Fort Myers Police said 24-year-old Jordan Bradley arranged to buy a gold chain through Facebook Marketplace.
However, instead of making a purchase, he pulled a gun on the seller in the Colonial Boulevard Walmart parking lot and stole the chain.
Police said Bradley’s cousin gave him a ride to what he thought was a simple errand — cashing a check — and waited in the car during the robbery.
But moments after grabbing the necklace, Bradley allegedly ran back to the car and ordered his cousin to drive. The seller wasn’t ready to let the suspect go without a fight.
According to police, the victim chased after the car to get a license plate number. That’s when things escalated.
Investigators said Bradley’s cousin, still unaware of the robbery, accidentally reversed into the seller’s car and sideswiped it. The seller then rear-ended the suspect’s vehicle, causing it to crash into a ditch on Challenger Boulevard near BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Bradley’s cousin suffered a bloody eye in the crash but told officers he had no idea what Bradley had done. Police say he is not facing charges. Following the crash, Bradley allegedly threw the gold chain back at the seller and pointed the gun again.
Police later recovered a Glock-style BB gun in a ditch near the Edge Apartments across the street from where the incident ended.
A 911 call was made during the incident, but the caller reportedly hung up before providing details.
Officers responded anyway, leading to Bradley’s arrest. Jordan Bradley is now charged with robbery with a firearm.
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