A North Vancouver teen was arrested last week after he allegedly mugged another youth for his high-end camera and then sold the stolen equipment to an undercover cop.
The 16-year-old victim was walking home in the 300-block of West Fourth Street at about 1.30 a.m. March 17 when two men approached him and threatened to beat him up if he didn't hand over his skateboard and backpack, according to police. The young man complied, and the two muggers fled on foot.
A little more than a week later, the victim was browsing the Craigslist classified site when he came across an ad for a camera that he was sure was his. The $1,200 device had been inside the bag when it was stolen. He called the North Vancouver RCMP, who set up a sting.
One of the detachment's undercover officers, posing as a buyer, contacted the seller and arranged a meeting. The two rendezvoused on March 27, and as soon as the 17-year-old suspect accepted payment for the camera, the officer arrested him. Investigators say he admitted to the robbery.
The youth, who can't be identified because of his age, has been charged with robbery, possession of stolen property and other crimes and released pending a court appearance. He was on probation for an incident in another municipality at the time, adding to the list of alleged offences, according to police.
Investigators are not pursuing the other person allegedly involved in the March 17 incident.
"It's becoming more common for somebody, after committing a theft, to sell the stolen goods on Craigslist," said Cpl. Richard De Jong, a spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP. "The good thing with this (victim) is that, rather than take it upon himself to steal (the camera) back from these guys or whatever, he notified police."
