Man attacked in alleged Grindr trap by suspect who told him ‘I hate gay people’
A victim was allegedly attacked by a group after being lured via Grindr (Getty Images, stock)
A man was attacked in a suspected hate-motivated incident, after being lured to a Missouri park via Grindr.
According to charging documents, as reported by KMOV, the victim went to Bluebird Park after speaking a man named “Adam” on the app.
“Adam”, identified by police to be an alias, met the victim in the early hours of October 21 and told him: “I actually hate gay people.”
It’s alleged that four other people then came out from bushes and began punching the victim’s head and torso, not stopping when he fell to the floor. The group also allegedly used homophobic slurs during the attack and demanded his belongings.
The victim managed to escape, with his smashed phone later found close to the scene.
What happened next?
The victim got to his car and drove to the Ellisville Police Department to report the incident. He was hospitalised with serious injuries.
According to police, the alleged attack was captured on surveillance footage, and they also used footage to trace a vehicle which was seen leaving the park.
The vehicle allegedly traced back to “Adam”, who was arrested during a traffic stop on 21 October.
The victim identified “Adam” as one of the group as part of a photo lineup.
“Adam” faces felony charges of first-degree assault motivated by discrimination and first-degree property damage motivated by discrimination.
Mistaken identity?
The alleged suspect’s attorney Jay Kanzler claimed his client was mistakenly charged. He was released on his own recognisance, after bail was previously set at $200,000, according to KSDK.
Ellisville Police Chief Col. Andrew Vaughn said there had been no indication that the charges had been dropped, however a post announcing the charges was deleted from the force’s social media.
Police are working to identify other suspects, who are believed to be minors. They believe similar incidents may have also occurred but gone unreported, and have encouraged anyone with information to get in touch.
