Court records and police reports describe thefts in Winter Springs, Ocoee and Orlando.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Police in Central Florida say two suspects accused in a violent PlayStation 5 theft in Winter Springs were also tied to robberies in Ocoee and Orlando a day earlier, a series of cases investigators say began with online meetups arranged through Facebook Marketplace.
The allegations connect three locations across two counties over roughly 24 hours, with victims reporting a similar pattern: a meeting in a public parking lot, a sudden decision by suspects to flee without paying, and pepper spray used to break away. Winter Springs police said they recovered a stolen PS5 and pepper spray after tracking a suspect vehicle to Apopka, while other agencies reported recovering property in at least one of the earlier cases.
The most serious injuries were reported in the Winter Springs incident on Feb. 17, when police said a seller was pepper-sprayed and dragged by a moving vehicle for several hundred feet. Investigators said the victim tried to retrieve the PS5 as the suspects accelerated away, and surveillance video captured the chaotic chase in a busy area near a grocery store. Police said the victim suffered minor injuries, though authorities have not released the victim’s name or additional medical details.
Winter Springs police identified the suspects as Christopher Stephan Lewis and Maud Chelle Jean Baptiste, who were each charged with robbery, and Natalya Joi Hayles, who was charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly driving the vehicle used to flee. Police said detectives located the car in Apopka and found the stolen console and a can of pepper spray during a search. Investigators have not publicly described how the suspects selected victims or whether they used the same online accounts in each alleged meetup.
Authorities said the day before the Winter Springs robbery, Lewis and Baptiste were accused in Ocoee of targeting another online seller who arrived expecting a routine exchange. Police said the victim in that case was selling a MacBook Pro valued at about $1,400 and met the suspects at a Publix on West Colonial Drive at about 4:30 p.m. Investigators said the suspects pepper-sprayed the victim and fled with the laptop. Sgt. David Ogletree of the Ocoee Police Department said officers later found the victim rinsing his eyes in a bathroom, a detail cited in reporting on the case.
Later the same day in Orlando, investigators said the pattern continued during another arranged meetup, this time involving a couple trying to sell a PS5. Police reports cited in local coverage said the couple met the suspects at a Wawa on South Orange Blossom Trail, where a theft and pepper-spray attack were reported. Officials have not released the couple’s names, and police have not publicly stated whether additional suspects were involved at the Orlando location beyond those named in the Winter Springs case.
Winter Springs police said the Feb. 17 case advanced quickly once detectives matched the suspect vehicle description to information gathered from earlier reports. Capt. Nicholas Romano said the department was still working through the investigation after making arrests and collecting evidence. “It’s an unfortunate circumstance,” Romano said, describing the case as ongoing as detectives reviewed video and documented recovered items. Police have not publicly said whether investigators believe the same vehicle was used in each alleged robbery or whether suspects changed cars between incidents.
The Winter Springs surveillance video, released by police, shows the victim running alongside the passenger side of the vehicle and holding on as it moves through the parking lot area, according to summaries provided by authorities and local outlets. Police said the victim was pepper-sprayed during the struggle and fell from the moving vehicle after being dragged. Investigators have not detailed whether the vehicle struck any other cars, and they have not said whether the incident created additional hazards for bystanders beyond noting it happened in a busy area in daylight.
Across the three cases, law enforcement agencies emphasized that meetups for high-value items can draw opportunistic thefts and that suspects can escalate quickly once confronted. Police said the victims in the reported cases chose public locations near businesses, but investigators said that did not prevent the robberies. Officials said many agencies offer designated areas near police facilities meant for internet exchange meetups, and they pointed to the Winter Springs case as an example of how quickly a planned transaction can turn into a dangerous physical struggle.
Authorities have not publicly released a full schedule of court hearings for the suspects or clarified how the cases will be divided among jurisdictions as prosecutors review reports from Winter Springs, Ocoee and Orlando. Investigators have not said whether more victims could come forward or whether detectives are examining additional online transactions tied to the suspects. Police said the arrests and recovered items mark a key step, but they described the broader investigation as continuing.
Author note: Last updated February 26, 2026.