Two men are facing multiple felony charges after Fort Worth police linked them to a series of armed robberies involving Facebook Marketplace transactions that occurred on Saturday August 15.
Officers responded to reports of several armed robberies tied to online marketplace meetups. Through a coordinated effort involving the Real Time Crime Center, the Directed Response Unit, FLOCK license plate technology, and Robbery Detectives, investigators identified a silver Honda sedan matching the description of the suspect vehicle.
Jeremiah Ross, 21, was taken into custody after officers spotted him running while carrying a firearm. Davontate Ashley, 20, was apprehended separately during a high-risk traffic stop the same day.
Investigators determined both men were connected to the robberies. A search warrant led to the recovery of stolen property, and both suspects were charged with three counts of aggravated robbery each.
Fort Worth police are using the arrests as an opportunity to urge the public to take precautions when arranging meetups through online platforms like Facebook Marketplace. Officials say safety should always be the top priority when conducting in-person transactions with strangers.
Police recommend meeting only in busy public locations during daylight hours and bringing another person along whenever possible. Several police departments across the DFW area have designated safe exchange zones, typically located in police station parking lots, where residents can conduct online sales transactions in a secure environment.
Authorities stress that if anything about a planned meetup feels suspicious or unsafe, people should leave the area immediately and call police rather than proceeding with the transaction.
