A trio of men allegedly robbed a Range Rover–driving St. Johns County man of his Rolex at gunpoint at a Ponte Vedra Beach McDonald’s, The Citizen has learned.
According to St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office documents, the man advertised the luxury timepiece on Facebook Marketplace and agreed to meet a buyer named “Jabari” at the restaurant around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
When the victim entered the McDonald’s, he noticed two men wearing balaclava-style masks exit the bathroom and leave.
A third man then came out of the restroom and introduced himself as the buyer.
After some discussion, they agreed on a price of $8,000 for the Rolex, the documents state.
But the victim balked when the buyer insisted on paying through CashApp. At an impasse, they agreed to meet the next day, and the suspect walked out of the restaurant.
Moments later, as the victim exited, he was confronted by the two masked men. Surveillance video later reviewed by investigators shows the buyer standing outside, signaling to the masked suspects and pointing toward the victim.
The masked men forced the victim into his SUV at gunpoint, repeatedly threatening to shoot him dead if he didn’t hand over the watch.
Fearing for his life, the victim surrendered the Rolex. The suspects also took his car keys and Louis Vuitton wallet, according to the warrant paperwork.
Witnesses told deputies they saw a dark-colored sedan speeding out of the parking lot around the time of the robbery.
License plate readers simultaneously captured a blue 2007 Saturn traveling north on A1A. Law enforcement records showed that the vehicle was registered to Jabari Jones, whose driver’s license photo matched the man seen on surveillance video.
Later that night, another license plate reader recorded the same Saturn parked on Powers Avenue in Jacksonville. Detectives confirmed Jones had an active JEA account for an apartment at that address, opened Nov. 20.
Detectives presented the victim with Jones’s photo, and he identified him as the bogus buyer.
A warrant was issued for Jones’ arrest, and he was picked up two days after the incident at his home by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office deputies.
He now faces armed robbery charges, the documents state. It’s unclear if the Rolex has been recovered or if his accomplices have been identified.
