Police seek video after reported Facebook Marketplace robbery near Berrigan and Beatrice

Ottawa police are asking for video from the area of Berrigan and Beatrice drives after a reported robbery during a Facebook Marketplace sale on Sunday, August 9. CityNews Ottawa reports that police said a seller was meeting a prospective buyer in that area after arranging the sale on Facebook Marketplace, and that an item was taken from the seller after a handgun was displayed. Officers are seeking information on the incident and any video footage recorded between 7:30 and 8 p.m. that evening.

For residents who buy and sell online, the same report sets out the Ottawa Police Service's official Safe Trade Zones: marked spaces at the Elgin Street station at 466 Metcalfe Street, the Kanata station at 211 Huntmar Drive, and the Orleans station at 3343 St-Joseph Boulevard. The zones are identified by a blue logo.

Police are also clear about the limits of those spaces, according to the report. They are not police-monitored, and the service is not responsible for mediating the transactions that happen in them. Their stated purpose is to move a meeting out of a secluded parking lot or away from a private residence and into a public location.