Group of teens lure men into trap using dating app, then beat them, Illinois cops say
Officials in Illinois have charged 11 teenagers after they say the teens lured men from a dating app to meet up with them then beat them.
Around 9:45 p.m. July 8, a 41-year-old man went to the Mount Prospect Police Department and reported he had been beaten by a group of teenagers in a parking lot, according to a news Dec. 26 release.
The man told police he was supposed to meet up with a person he met on a dating app. When he got to the meeting location, the man said he was approached by a group of teens who began beating him, the release said.
The teens also damaged his car, police said.
The man was able to get into his vehicle and drive away, although the teens followed him in their vehicles, according to police.
About 10 minutes later, police responded to another report. A 23-year-old man told police he arranged to meet a person from a dating app and when he arrived he was approached by a group of teens.
The man said the teens beat him and slashed his car tires, according to police. He was able to get in his car and drive away until he realized his tires were slashed. He then stopped at a nearby home and asked the residents to call 911, police said.
Investigators learned that the teens got the idea from a social media trend, officials said.
Officials found surveillance video of the incidents and were able to identify 11 juveniles who took part in one or both of the assaults, the release said.
One of the teens was heard yelling a racial slur and a derogatory word, leading to that teen being charged with two counts of hate crime.
The other teens were charged with aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and mob action. All the teens turned themselves in and were taken to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago, officials said.
Mount Prospect is about a 25-mile drive northwest of Chicago.
This story was originally published December 29, 2024 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Group of teens lure men into trap using dating app, then beat them, Illinois cops say."
