Lakeview man beaten, robbed by man he met on Grindr, police say

A 30-year-old Lakeview man was beaten and robbed by a man he met on the Grindr dating app early Saturday, police said.

The victim told police he invited the man to his apartment on the 500 block of West Aldine around 3 a.m. After entering the unit, the offender punched, sexually assaulted him, and robbed the victim, according to a CPD report. He also transferred money out of the victim’s account using Venmo, the report said.

Detectives and an evidence technician were at the scene around 5:30 a.m. The victim declined medical attention, police said. Area Three detectives are investigating the case. Police did not release a description of the assailant.

Saturday’s incident is not the first Grindr meet-up to go wrong in Chicago:

  • Late last year, a judge sentenced 29-year-old Cedrick Johnson to five years in prison for pepper-spraying and battering two cops who tried to arrest him for allegedly robbing and beating a Grindr date with a hammer in Boystown.
  • In February 2020, a 20-year-old suburban man was charged with robbing three male tourists he arranged to meet separately at downtown hotel rooms via Grindr.
  • Two men received sentences of 15- and 18-years for their roles in a series of armed robberies that involved luring men into armed robbery ambushes via Grindr during the fall of 2017.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com