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Three men arrested for Craigslist iPad scam

Police arrested three men who advertised $300 iPads for sale on Craigslist, arranged to meet two would-be buyers in Southwest Philadelphia Sunday night and then robbed them at gunpoint.

This post has been updated

Philadelphia police arrested three men who advertised $300 iPads for sale on Craigslist, arranged to meet two would-be buyers in Southwest Philadelphia Sunday night and then robbed them at gunpoint.

Police said Malcolm Craig, 18, who lives on Robinson Street near Arch, pulled a semi-automatic handgun on the unsuspecting victims while Edward Brown, 19, who lives on 45th Street near Pine Street demanded cash and other belongings.

Police Lt. John Walker of the Southwest Detective Division said a 45-year-old man from Sharon Hill who responded to the advertisement was robbed of $300 in cash around 10:20 Sunday night at the Penrose Plaza Shopping Center on Island Avenue near Lindbergh Boulevard in Southwest Philadelphia.

And around 10:45, a 25-year-old man from King of Prussia met the suspects on Yocum Street near 67th in Kingsessing, and was robbed of $275, his cellphone and his silver, 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Monday night, police spotted the man's car on 52nd and Market Street around 10:30 but lost it during a brief pursuit.

Around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, officers spotted the car again on 61st and Walnut and chased the men.

Craig and Brown jumped from the car, and tried running away but were apprehended by police, Walker said.

He said an investigation revealed that a third man, Terrence Brown, 20, who lives on Wynnewood Road near Haverford Avenue was the mastermind behind the scam and Terrence Brown was arrested at his house later Tuesday morning.

All three are facing charges of robbery, theft, conspiracy, assault and weapons violations.

The three are each being held on $50,000 bail and are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 14, according to court documents.