19-Year-Old Robbed a MacBook Seller at Gunpoint During a Facebook Marketplace Meeting in Lakeview and Was Caught in 2 Minutes

A 19-year-old man who did not have enough money to buy a MacBook Pro brought a gun to a Facebook Marketplace meeting in Lakeview instead, pointed it at the seller, and drove away with the laptop.

He was caught 1.1 miles away, two minutes after the victim called 911, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The Facebook Marketplace Setup

The victim had listed his 2019 MacBook Pro for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

On August 5, 2026, he received a message from a Facebook account with the username Yorgino G Diaz and no profile picture.

The two exchanged messages and agreed to meet at approximately 10:05 p.m. on the 700 block of West Belmont Avenue in Lakeview, where the victim lived.

Just before the meeting, Gonzalez Demaria messaged, “Ya estoy afuera,” meaning I am already outside. The victim carried the laptop in a Trader Joe’s bag and walked out to meet him.

The Robbery

Gonzalez Demaria was sitting in a blue Toyota Corolla with the headlights on. He motioned for the victim to get inside.

The victim declined.

He handed over the laptop and charger through the passenger window to let Gonzalez Demaria inspect them.

After inspecting the laptop, Gonzalez Demaria agreed to pay $550 and told the victim he needed to go to an ATM for cash.

As the victim pulled out his phone to provide Zelle payment information, Gonzalez Demaria reached into the backseat, grabbed a loaded Taurus G3 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and pointed it at the victim, according to the complaint.

Gonzalez Demaria pulled back on the slide of the firearm. A bullet fell out of the gun onto the ground.

The victim stepped back and closed the passenger door. Gonzalez Demaria drove away eastbound on Belmont Avenue with the laptop, charger, and Trader Joe’s bag.

Caught in 2 Minutes

The victim photographed the back of the Toyota Corolla as it drove away, capturing the license plate GB70164.

He called 911 at approximately 10:26 p.m.

Two minutes later, at 10:28 p.m., officers spotted a blue Toyota Corolla matching the description approximately 1.1 miles away near 2500 North Cannon Drive.

They conducted a traffic stop.

Gonzalez Demaria was the driver and sole occupant. He was wearing a white T-shirt matching the victim’s description. When officers asked if there was a firearm in the car, Gonzalez Demaria told them there was one in the backseat.

Officers recovered the loaded Taurus G3 9mm pistol with an extended magazine, a loose round of ammunition, the MacBook Pro laptop, the charger, and the Trader Joe’s bag from the backseat. They also found six cell phones in the vehicle.

The victim was brought to the scene and positively identified Gonzalez Demaria as the man who robbed him.

He Admitted It

After being read his Miranda rights, Gonzalez Demaria agreed to be interviewed.

He told investigators he brought the firearm specifically because he did not have enough money to buy the laptop.

He confirmed he showed the victim the firearm and drove away with the computer and charger, according to the complaint.

The Six Cell Phones

Six cell phones recovered from the car were not addressed in the complaint affidavit.

However, the presence of six phones in a 19-year-old’s car during a robbery is a detail investigators will likely examine as the case proceeds.

The Charges

Gonzalez Demaria faces two federal counts. One count of robbery under the Hobbs Act. One count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

The robbery charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The brandishing charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in federal prison to be served consecutively after any sentence on the robbery count.