A man claiming to have a television for sale is luring victims to a vacant apartment at 50 Brookhill Court in Collinsville and robbing them.

Photo by Roger Starkey

Collinsville Police say the man, identified only as a dark skinned black male, has drawn at least two victims to the apartment with advertisements placed on craigslist.  Both victims went to the apartment to potentially purchase a television.

A man met with the suspect on Dec. 17 and followed him into the apartment. Once inside, the suspect hit the victim in the head with a wooden baseball bat and demanded his money, police said. The suspect then left the residence with an undetermined amount of money. The victim was treated at the scene for a head injury, but refused further treatment.

A similar incident occurred on Dec. 15 at the same residence. The victim was able to get away and called police from a nearby parking lot. The victim refused medical treatment.

Anyone with information about the cases is asked to contact the Collinsville Police Department Detective Division at 618-344-2131, ext. 5275.