Two arrested in connection to Craigslist robbery

Two men were arrested on suspicion of robbing a man they met on Craigslist at an Irvine park, police said.

Xavier Austin Parnell, 24, of Canoga Park, and Matthew Erick Davis, 22, formerly of Irvine, allegedly met a Huntington Beach man trying to sell a laptop Sunday night, the Irvine Police Department said.

During the transaction, Parnell allegedly reached inside his coat, seemingly for his wallet, but displayed a handgun and demanded the merchandise instead, running to a car police believe was being driven by Davis.

On Tuesday night, police learned that the two men were in Dana Point and spotted them in a vehicle, they said. After a brief pursuit, Parnell allegedly fled from the car on foot and was found in a women’s restroom in a nearby restaurant, police said.

The stolen laptop, sold to a Yorba Linda resident, was recovered and returned to the victim, police said. A black replica handgun was recovered in the vehicle.

Both men were booked for armed robbery, conspiracy and petty theft at the Orange County jail. As of Thursday afternoon, both men remained in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30