An 18-year-old Douglas man was arrested and jailed on numerous charges after allegedly attempted to steal a gun from someone he met on Facebook Marketplace. The suspect, Fritz Barner, 18, of Douglas, was meeting the victim in order to trade a camera for a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun. According to an incident report from the Douglas Police Department, Barner snatched the gun from the victim and ran off, pointing the gun at people who chased him in an attempt to get him to stop.
The incident took place around 1:30 p.m. on June 26, 2025, at a local business. The victim met with Barner to trade a gun for a camera. The two had initially made contact with each other on Facebook Marketplace, according to the report.
In the report, the victim stated that Barner walked up to her vehicle in the parking lot of the business. She asked to see the camera and he asked to see the gun, the report says. He asked to see the gun a second time and the victim showed it to him. Then, the report says, employees of the business ran out and yelled at the victim not to give him the gun. At that point, Barner allegedly snatched the gun out of her hand, injuring her finger in the process, and took off running. Employees from the business chased Barner but he turned around and pointed the gun at them, the report says, so they stopped. The victim let the employees know that the gun wasn’t loaded and the employees continued their pursuit but lost him in a nearby wooded area.
The report says that Barner had attempted to do the same kind of thing the day before.
Officers arrived at the scene, took statements, and gathered evidence. They were able to track Barner to his home on Bryan Street Circle, where he was arrested and taken into custody. During the arrest, the report says that Barner denied ever having a gun.
Barner was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and robbery. He was transported to the Coffee County Jail where he remains.