Craigslist ad led to Lake Mary robbery at gunpoint

LAKE MARY, Fla. — WFTV discovered an armed holdup was the consequence of a Craigslist ad.

A Lake Mary man said as soon as he realized the seller tricked him into a trap, he was ambushed at gunpoint Thursday night at Walden Circle in Orlando.

The victim, Ricky Pyne, said instead of picking up two iPhones, he was robbed of $800.

Pyne said he feels fortunate he's alive to tell his cautionary tale.

The Lake Mary man thought he was getting a deal on two new iPhones to put on eBay.

Pyne said he agreed to meet a woman who appeared to be a legitimate seller.

"I honestly thought this was completely professional," Pyne said.

Their rendezvous at a Walden Circle apartment building was a trap.

Pyne said the woman was leading him down a hallway and thought it led to her apartment. Instead she took a turn down the stairs and when they got to the end, two guys showed up with guns and ambushed him.

"I see a silver gun pointed at me and I turned to run. They tackled me from behind," Pyne said.

The father of two said he was begging for his life.

"I said 'I don't want to die tonight, I have kids.' (I) reached in my pocket and held up the cash," Pyne said.

A neighbor who heard screaming grabbed a baseball bat to confront the men, but retreated when he realized they had guns.

"I saw a gun and went back inside because I had a bat," said the neighbor.

Pyne said his days on Craigslist are done.

"They could have taken my life for it if I had fought back," Pyne said.

WFTV