Reading police have charged a 19-year-old city man with robbing and pistol-whipping a man he met at a convenience store under the false belief he would sell him several Apple iPads.
Justin Y. Rivera, of the 400 block of West Oley Street, was booked into Berks County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail Tuesday evening following arraignment before District Judge Tonya A. Butler in Reading Central Court.
Rivera is charged with theft, aggravated assault, receiving stolen property and related charges.
According to researchers:
The victim told police he sells used electronics on the Internet. On March 23, he was contacted by text message by someone whose phone number was later identified as Rivera’s. The person who contacted him offered to sell him several iPads, which the victim was interested in purchasing for resale.
The victim told him he wanted to meet at a public location, preferably a convenience store. The alleged seller told him to meet him in the 400 block of West Douglass Street because it was close to his home.
The victim asked what type of vehicle he would be arriving in and the salesperson said it was a Ford Fusion.
Around 5 p.m., the victim parked in the parking lot and walked to a Ford Fusion. He noticed that the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat were occupied.
The driver told the victim to walk to the back of the passenger side. When he opened the door, he saw a man sitting in the backseat.
The rear passenger reached out and grabbed him and tried to pull him into the car. The victim put his foot on the door frame to avoid being pulled in.
Then the driver got out and hit the victim in the head with a gun. The front passenger also got out and pistol-whipped him with another gun.
They continued to hit him after he fell.
The driver, later identified as Rivera, walked up to the victim’s car and grabbed his wallet and $5,500.
The attacker dragged the victim to the front of the Fusion and then fled in that vehicle.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Rivera’s cell phone provider. It showed that he was in the area when the crime took place. License plate reader data showed Rivera’s Ford Fusion was recorded nearby in the 1100 block of Schuylkill Avenue just before the robbery.
Detective Charles Federico filed the charges against Rivera on Tuesday. Details about the arrest were not available.
The other attackers have not yet been identified.
