Two 18-year-old men are facing charges of terrorizing two other men who had arranged dates on the popular Tinder App. Jahziah McDonald and Jeremiyah Mannie were denied bail after the prosecutors said that the attacks were organized. The men have been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and aggravated robbery—all of which are felonies. The men did not have adult records. However, one faced juvenile charges related to auto theft. A third female teenager was used to lure the men to the attack. The teenaged girl will face juvenile charges. A fourth individual who attended the attacks was released uncharged.
Hook-up Site Robberies Targeting Men
Men are not usually the target of hook-up site robberies. Generally, it is women who have to be more careful. However, anyone can be the victim of this sort of attack without regard to their gender. In this case, men hoping to hook up with a pretty girl were lured to a secluded place where the attack could be conducted. One man was forced to withdraw money from his account at an ATM.
The victim’s mother was able to trace her son’s phone to its location. Police found the suspects still sitting in the victim’s vehicle when they were arrested. Additionally, the suspects lured their victims to the same home and committed the crimes within 45 minutes of each other.
In another incident, a young man met up with a young lady he fancied on Tinder. When he arrived, he was greeted by a young woman who lured him into the basement. He was met by four men in ski masks, one of whom had a handgun. Police say the man was hit in the head with a metal object. The men then proceeded to rob the victim. The man needed staples in his scalp to repair the damage and suffered a hematoma to his ear.
The Defense
Two of the suspects were found in the victim’s car, so they are not going to have much of a defense. The suspects who were not found in the victim’s car or are not tied to the house where the victims are lured can claim that they were falsely identified by the witnesses or that the witnesses had no opportunity to identify them. However, they will be able to track the victim’s phone to the whereabouts of the defendants. Since the defendants stopped to purchase booze and smokes with the victim’s money, their faces will be all over surveillance and security cameras at the gas station and tied to the whereabouts of the victim’s phone. Further, the home used in the attacks is tied to the suspects.
Talk to a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney
If you have been accused of a criminal enterprise involving the theft of $100 from multiple victims, then you will need a lawyer to prevent spending the rest of your life in prison on charges of aggravated kidnapping, battery, and several other major felonies. Call David Freidberg today at (312) 560-7100 to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help.