Man robbed of iPhone in supermarket parking lot

The Lake County prosecutor’s office is accusing two men of taking a man’s iPhone on Jan. 10 at gunpoint in the parking lot outside of the Meijer store at 611 W. U.S. 30 in Merrillville.

A man told Merrillville police he had met someone recently on Facebook and offered to sell his used cellphone for $180.

He said they agreed to meet outside the store. The man, with whom the victim had been in contact, drove up shortly after 6 p.m. Jan. 10 along with two other male passengers.

The victim said he let the driver examine his phone and its charging device, and then one of the passengers in the car drew a pistol and all three fled with the phone.

Police said they identified two men in the robbery from photos posted on the Facebook page the victim used to arrange the phone transaction.

The prosecutor has identified them as Jaylin A. White, 19, of Gary, and Tyree T. Jackson, 19, of Hammond. Court records indicate the defendants are at large.