Two Florida Men Arrested After Discussing A Robbery On Facebook Messenger

After discussing a robbery on Facebook Messenger, two Florida men are in custody. 

Patrick Smith, 23, and Darquez Manning, 22, are alleged to have committed a robbery related to a marijuana sale. Smith is accused of robbing a childhood friend and another victim. They were allegedly robbed and beaten by Smith and Manning at gunpoint.

“According to the arrest warrant, a physical struggle occurred during the robbery, at which time Smith told Manning to kill the victims,” the Miami Herald report states. “Deputies say Manning fired one shot into the victim’s tire before the two drove away with some of the victims’ property in their own vehicle.”

Smith was the first to be identified since the robbery took place near his home. Smith is “well known to law enforcement due to multiple arrests since 2014,” according to Miami Herald’s report.

A handprint on the victim’s vehicle matched Manning’s. A search warrant was put in place to gain access to his social media accounts, including Facebook and Snapchat.

“Detectives discovered a string of messages between Smith and Manning on the day of as well as the day after the robbery on his Facebook Messenger account,” according to the Miami Herald. “According to the warrant, the two discussed when they were going to rob the victims just hours before the crime. Three hours after the robbery, at about 1 a.m. June 28, Manning sent Smith messages saying, ‘Investigating,’ and, ‘They ova in the area … looking.’”

Manning then messaged Smith asking if he still had a stolen gold chain from the robbery.

“Manning’s last message to Smith was to remind him to delete his messages,” the Herald report added.

Manning was arrested on Tuesday after an arrest warrant was issued on July 26.

Smith was already in custody because of a violation of terms from a pre-trial release following previous felony charges. Manning is in custody on a $50,000 bond.