CONCORD, NH — A Franklin man has been arrested on multiple felony charges after a thorough investigation into an armed robbery that occurred in Concord.
Octavio Isiaiah Mercedes, 24, from Franklin, was arrested on May 6, facing charges of robbery with a firearm, criminal threatening with a deadly weapon, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, and felonious use of a firearm.
The incident occurred on April 14 around 12:30 p.m. when a man in his 30s reported that he was threatened at gunpoint during a Facebook Marketplace transaction. The victim had traveled to Concord to meet the seller of an iPhone 13 for $150. They arranged to meet outside the Petco store on Fort Eddy Road, though the victim flagged officers down at the nearby Hannaford supermarket after the incident.
According to the victim, after handing over $160 for the phone, he received $10 in change but found the device locked due to being tied to a different carrier. When he asked for his money back, the seller allegedly pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the victim, warning him to leave or be shot.
The victim recorded the suspect, then fled the area in a white Honda sedan with Massachusetts plates. Concord police traced the vehicle’s registration but found no direct match. Detectives accessed surveillance footage and identified key features of the car, such as tinted windows, chrome rims, and unique fog lights. One detective later realized the car was likely an Infiniti Q50 sedan and distributed images to law enforcement across departments, including the Commonwealth Fusion Center in Massachusetts.
Four days after the incident, a detective identified the vehicle’s registration as belonging to Mercedes, who lived in Fall River, Massachusetts, with a secondary address in Manchester. Surveillance efforts, including tracking the vehicle’s location on Interstate 93, confirmed that Mercedes was likely the individual involved. Further investigation led to Mercedes’ apartment in Franklin, where the vehicle was seen parked.
On May 6, authorities executed a search warrant at Mercedes’ residence. They found a Smith & Wesson M&P 9C pistol, various ammunition, a phone matching the victim’s description, and other items connected to the crime, including a medallion with the name “Sixowe,” the same name the victim had seen on the seller’s Facebook account. Mercedes was arrested without incident.
During questioning, Mercedes did not provide substantial information about the robbery but confirmed he had been in Concord earlier that day. Despite his lack of cooperation, investigators were able to piece together the details and charge Mercedes with the robbery and other related crimes.
The victim later clarified that he had paid $360 for the phone, not $160 as initially stated, and confirmed that he had felt threatened by the gun. Mercedes, who had a criminal record from a previous conviction in 2019, was arraigned on May 7 and is being held without bail.
