A Sherman Oaks man trying to sell his Apple computer through an online ad instead found himself staring down the barrel of a gun Tuesday night, after the two men who showed up to buy it pulled a weapon and fled with the machine. The robbery happened around 9 pm on the 15000 block of Magnolia Boulevard, leaving the seller with an estimated $1,200 in losses and no computer to show for it.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the man had placed an online ad to sell his computer and arranged to meet the buyers on the Magnolia Boulevard block. When the two men arrived, one of them demanded the computer and then pulled a gun, prompting the seller to hand it over before the pair fled on foot. LAPD officers responded to the scene and took a robbery report, but as of the outlet’s report, no arrests had been made.
The case remains under investigation, and it’s unclear whether detectives have recovered surveillance footage from along Magnolia Boulevard or identified which online marketplace the suspects used to arrange the meetup — details that haven’t yet been made public.
A Recurring Risk for Online Sellers
The robbery lands squarely within a pattern police have flagged for years. LAPD’s Devonshire Division issued a public safety advisory in January 2025 warning San Fernando Valley residents about a surge in e-commerce-related robberies, according to LAPD, and it specifically recommended that sellers meet buyers during daylight hours and bring a companion. LAPD has for years urged the public to conduct online deals in public, well-lit places and remain aware of their surroundings…