Santa Ana Police Friday sought public help to identify a man who used counterfeit money to buy something that a person advertised for sale on Craigslist.
The crime occurred about 1:45 p.m. May 8 in a parking lot between a Big O Tires and an In-N-Out restaurant in the 3300 block of Bristol Street, the Santa Ana Police Department reported.
According to police, the victim advertised gift certificates for sale on Craigslist, and met with the suspect in the parking lot.
“The suspect handed the victim … money in an envelope, and the victim handed the certificates to the suspect, who was seated in his truck,” a police statement said.
“The victim saw the money and realized it was counterfeit …” police said. “The suspect started to flee the parking lot, and the victim grabbed onto the truck door, yelling at him to stop.”
The victim was dragged into the street and let go of the truck door, and the suspect sped away, police said.
Police released security photos of the suspect and vehicle. The suspect was described as white, 35-45 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 250 pounds. He had short blond hair, with a receding hairline.
The pickup truck was described as a late 1990s to early 2000s red two- door Chevrolet Silverado with an extended cab.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Detective A. Garcia, (714) 245-8408, or Orange County Crime Stoppers, (855) TIP-OCCS.
—City News Service