Seller pepper-sprayed, dragged by car during PS5 robbery in Winter Springs, police say

Three people are facing charges after a Facebook Marketplace purchase escalated into a violent robbery that left a seller injured, according to the Winter Springs Police Department.

On Feb. 17, three people met with the seller of a PlayStation 5 from Facebook Marketplace.

Police said the three suspects decided not to pay and attempted to flee with the item.

As the suspects sped away in their vehicle, the victim reached inside to retrieve his PS5, but was pepper-sprayed and dragged several hundred feet before falling from the moving car, according to police.

The victim suffered minor injuries during the incident.

Winter Springs PD investigators tracked the vehicle involved in the incident to Apopka. Inside, they found pepper spray and the stolen PS5, police said.

Two suspects, Christopher Stephan Lewis and Maud Chelle Jean Baptiste, were charged with robbery.

The third suspect, Natalya Joi Hayles, was charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly driving the vehicle.

Officials advise buyers and sellers to conduct internet exchanges near the police department for safety.

"If the person you’re dealing with is not comfortable meeting at a police station, you may want to reconsider doing business with them," police said.

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