Cops: 2 arrested in armed robbery set up online
BOYNTON BEACH — Two men face armed robbery charges after yet another iPhone sale arranged online turned violent, Boynton Beach police said.
Jovany Michel and Nicken Resolu, both 19, were arrested Thursday and Monday, respectively, in the Nov. 14 meet-up-turned-robbery outside the Walmart on Old Boynton Road, city police said.
Records indicate Michel contacted a teenager via Facebook Marketplace to arrange for the teen to sell Michel two iPhones. The teen and a friend met Michel shortly before midnight Nov. 14 in the Walmart parking lot. Michel had another man, later identified as Resolu, with him.
The teen handed Michel the iPhones and Resolu reportedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at the teen. Michel demanded the phones, which the teen handed over out of fear of being shot.
Through his Facebook page, police identified Michel, who lives about a block from the Walmart, as the man who had arranged the sale.
Michel told authorities he thought the meet up would be a “snatch and grab,” stressing that he didn’t know Resolu was carrying a gun. Resolu also faces an aggravated assault charge in the case.
Resolu’s first appearance, scheduled for Tuesday morning, was rescheduled until today for a private attorney to be present.
A judge ordered he have no contact with Michel, who is being held without bond, or any witnesses in the case.
Neither man appears to have an adult criminal history in Palm Beach County.
Boynton Beach police reminded residents that the department’s lobby, open 24 hours a day, is a safe place to conduct person-to-person transactions arranged online.