It is possible that criminals are luring people to a certain area under the guise of making a transaction which turns into a robbery.

Sioux Falls Police Public Information Officer Sam Clemens notes a trend happening at 6th Street and Cleveland Avenue, where on Sunday a man had his cell phone stolen and he responded by firing a gun.

“This is actually the fifth recent incident in that area. Most of them involve a victim who is trying to sell a phone, the suspect meets with them, grabs the phone and runs away. One incident had a victim that was trying to buy a phone and the suspect grabbed the cash and took off.”

Clemens admits a surge of this type of crime has occurred in the last two weeks at this location. Incidents were reported on December 26, 30, 31, January 5, and 6 in which the parties agree to meet, but somebody gets ripped off.

As a reminder, Sioux Falls Police offered designated areas at their department headquarters to make safe exchanges. It has been available for a couple of years and is monitored by surveillance cameras at all times.

Citizens are allowed to use the police department lobby during hours of operation while the entryway vestibule is monitored during times that the lobby is closed. For larger items, cars can park in a designated area where cameras can view those exchanges.

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