Miami/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on May 09, 2024
Three Teens Arrested in Attempted Murder Following Online Sales Meet-Up in HomesteadSource: Miami-Dade Corrections

A shootout during an online sales meet-up has led to the arrests of three teens in Homestead, one of whom is facing attempted murder charges. The violence erupted over the sale of a minibike, according to local authorities.

The incident, which took place on Tuesday night, left a 16-year-old seller with bullet wounds to his leg and abdomen. WSVN reports that the victim had listed the minibike for sale on OfferUp and agreed to an exchange with 18-year-old buyer Aureliano Gomez: another motorized bicycle and $200 cash. Wearing all black and one adorning a ski mask, a group of four men disrupted the exchange, surrounding the vehicle and demanding the minibike.

Gomez, an 18-year-old as well as two other teens, whose ages were reported as 16 and 17, are now in police custody. According to an arrest report cited by NBC Miami, Gomez claimed that his own minibike had been stolen and located it on OfferUp, leading to the fateful meetup on the 900 block of Northwest 1st Avenue.

As the sellers tried to leave, their vehicle got trapped by an older model Nissan sedan used by the perpetrators. With one of the suspects shattering the vehicle's window with his elbow, the 16-year-old was subsequently shot trying to escape the ambush. "He contacted the seller and brought his friends for 'backup,'" Gomez said in the aftermath of the incident, as he was escorted into a police cruiser, according to an arrest report released Thursday. The victim was taken to Jackson South Hospital and is reportedly in stable condition, as per NBC Miami report.

Miami-Crime & Emergencies