Online Robbery Suspect Shot By Fort Worth Police

A Fort Worth police officer shot a serial robbery suspect Tuesday afternoon during an undercover sting operation in south Fort Worth.

The suspect would lure his victims through advertisements posted on Internet sites like Craigslist and Facebook, according to police.

A police report on Wednesday identified the suspect as Joshua Jaramillo, 18, of Fort Worth. He has been arrested for aggravated assault on a public servant and aggravated robbery. He is listed as being at the Mansfield Jail where he's being held on $60,000 bond.

"According to the ad, they were selling shoes, but what they were really doing is robbing the people that came to meet them," said Cpl. Tracey Knight.

Knight said the suspect, Jaramillo, pulled a gun when officers tried to arrest him, so they shot him while in the parking lot of an electronics store in the 6300 block of South McCart Avenue around 3:30 p.m.

No officers were wounded. Jaramillo was taken to a local hospital and later booked into jail.

Another person was also taken into custody at an apartment on Finbro Drive near the scene of the shooting, police said.

One of the suspects lives in the apartment with his girlfriend, 22-year-old Marissa Falter, who spoke with NBC 5 as police officers were executing a search warrant and removing bags of evidence from her home.

"I mean, it's shocking, but I still love him," Falter said. "I'm trying to find out more information, why they did it. But, other than that, I have no idea."

Minutes after speaking with reporters, Falter was arrested by police on an unrelated warrant and taken into police headquarters for questioning.

"It's all because of him. If she wasn't with him, none of this would have happened," Falter's sister, Miranda Tijerina, told NBC 5. "She wouldn't be involved in any of this."

The shoes in question during the sting operation Tuesday were a pair of Nike Air Jordan 11s, posted for sale on a Facebook group site called "DFW Jordan Shoes SIZE 8-15." But, according to police, the suspects would also use Criagslist to lure unsuspecting victims.

"This suspect is suspected of several robberies from Craigslist from Fort Worth, throughout the Mid-Cities area. He posts items on Craigslist, usually tennis shoes, and when he meets his victims he robs them at gunpoint," Knight said.

Knight said the wounded suspect showed a distinctive firearm that was reported in past crimes which helped confirm he was the right man.

Knight said it is wise to arrange a meeting for an online purchase in a public place, but would-be robbers can still take advantage of potential buyers because the robber expects the buyer to be carrying cash.

So, Knight suggested buyers offer only to look at an expensive item on an initial visit and arrange payment separately.

And Knight said robbers should be aware the buyer could be an undercover police officer like the ones who were waiting for this deal Tuesday.

NBC 5's Chris Van Horne and Ben Russell contributed to this report.

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