Harris County deputies charge four in gunpoint Marketplace robberies

Detectives with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office have charged four suspects in a string of armed robberies that targeted people selling luxury watches and PlayStation 5 consoles on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp in west Harris County.

Investigators said the suspects posed as buyers, arranged face-to-face meetings, and then pulled guns on sellers to take the items. The cases were tied to listings meant to look like easy local deals, including a PlayStation 5 advertised for $350 and what deputies described as a “bussdown ap” offered for about $850. The charges filed include aggravated robbery and robbery with bodily injury.

The arrests underscore a pattern that has been building across Houston-area online marketplaces, where attractive prices can draw sellers into dangerous in-person meetups. In a separate Houston Police Department case reported in November 2024, investigators said at least 15 victims were caught in a similar scheme involving ads for gaming systems and shoes, with suspects allegedly robbing buyers at gunpoint after arranging the transactions. Another case in northwest Harris County turned deadly in January 2025, when 39-year-old Dat Truong died after a Facebook sale robbery, a reminder that these encounters can turn violent in seconds.

Under Texas law, aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony and can bring five to 99 years in prison or life, along with a fine of up to $10,000. The sheriff’s office has urged people using Marketplace-style apps to choose safer meeting locations, including a police station or another public area, rather than a private meetup arranged only through a chat thread.

Anyone with information about the west Harris County robberies is asked to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at (713) 221-6000 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. For residents trading high-value electronics or watches in Houston, the warning from these cases is plain: a bargain listing and a friendly buyer profile can be the setup for a gunpoint robbery.