Struggle Over Sneakers in Bloomfield Township Lands Man In Jail

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – A Warren man is accused to stealing a pair of high-end sneakers from a Bloomfield Township resident after previously having agreed to swap them for another pair on a social media site, police said

The victim made the deal to exchange the sneakers on the Buying and Selling Sneakers Detroit Facebook page, according to a news release from the Bloomfield Township Police Department.

The victim and his mother met Emmanuel Thomas, 21, in the Kroger parking lot at Telegraph and Long Lake Road about 8:30 p.m. on June 1 to make the exchange, which occurred without incident, police said.

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Then, moments after the victim put his new shoes in his trunk, Thomas retrieved them, police said. After a brief struggle, Thomas pulled the shoes away from the victim and got into a car with two others and drove away, according to the release.

Thomas was arraigned on unarmed robbery charges before 48th District Court Magistrate Julie Nelson-Klein, who set bond at $25,000.

Bloomfield Township police urged residents to be wry of strangers they meet online, especially in situations where items are bought, sold or exchanged. The police department’s parking lot and lobby are considered safe zones for such exchanges and may be used for any meetings, including child exchanges between divorced parents.