A teenager has been arrested after police say he lured four different men to an east Dallas apartment complex via the dating app Grindr to rob and beat them.
Police records say a 17-year-old lured each victim to an apartment complex on the 8000 block of Chariot Drive, held them at gunpoint and demanded money. Each offense took place between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. Tuesday, records show.
The teen was booked into the Dallas County Jail at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and charged with four counts of aggravated assault. Police asked that the identity of the individual arrested Tuesday not be revealed.
Police say multiple other suspects were involved in the robberies Tuesday morning and remain at large.
Three other robberies, all involving victims communicating with a suspect via the Grindr app, were reported in the area in the late night or early morning hours of Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, police say:
• 1:10 a.m., December 7: 8000 block of Rothington Road
• 10:30 p.m., December 7: 8000 block of Chariot Drive
• 1 a.m., December 8: Chariot Drive
It wasn’t immediately known if the 17-year-old or the other suspects were connected to those cases. Grindr is a dating app primarily geared toward gay and bisexual men.
Anyone with information on these robberies is asked to call Dallas police Det. Jason Jarc at (214) 671-3464. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers at (214) 373-TIPS (8477).
Dallas police provide the following guidelines for meeting someone through a dating app:
• When meeting in surrounding cities that may be unfamiliar to you, always research a safe meeting location and familiarize yourself with the area
• Always meet in a well-lit, public place
• Never go alone
• Always meet during the day
• Keep your cell phone close and be ready to call 911 at the first sign of trouble
• Never give out personal or financial information
• Let someone know where you’ll be and who you are meeting
• Leave if you feel uncomfortable
