VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — A 13-year-old Vancouver boy was robbed at gunpoint recently while meeting someone to buy something off Craigslist.
The boy met two young men who advertised a video game online in a quite location. They pulled out a weapon and stole all his money.
Hunter Woodley, 18, and Devon Gonzalez, 19, were arrested in connection with the robbery.
Robberies during such exchanges are becoming more common, which is why many police departments have designated safe exchange zones. The Vancouver Police Department has them outside its three precincts and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office has one in the parking lot near the fairgrounds.
The parking lots are well lit, busy and have security cameras. Vancouver police said they’ve never had a problem in their safe zones since the program started 2 years ago.
“Our parking lots are well lit and well trafficked areas, we encourage people to do transactions during normal office hours when there’s likely to be even more people,” Vancouver police spokesperson Kim Kapp said.