Bay Area Woman Shot At During Online Sale Meet Up, Richmond PD Has Advice

In the Bay Area today, a potential buyer opened fire on a woman trying to sell a camera through an online posting in San Francisco's Ingleside Heights neighborhood on Tuesday, police said.

The 30-year-old woman arranged to meet up at about noon in the 100 block of Monticello Street to sell the camera.

But as the buyer, a man in his early 20s, approached her as she was sitting in her car there, she noticed he had a gun in his hand and fled, police said.

As she drove away, the man shot at her, hitting her vehicle but missing her. She got away unharmed but the suspect remains at large, police said.

The number of online sale crimes have increased substantially throughout Northern California, popping up on police call logs and alerts regularly.

Patch asked Richmond Police Department how residents can protect themselves from becoming a victim when selling items online and they said the police department parking lot is a welcomed place to meet up.

"Meeting a buyer or seller at a police department's parking lot is a great choice. The ones who are up to no good will not meet there, plus, you have resources readily available."

Bay City News contributed to this article.

Photo via morgueFile