Law enforcement officials recently announced that eleven teenagers from Illinois were charged after allegedly using gay dating apps to lure and beat two male victims over the summer. Police officials indicated that the teenagers were inspired by a “viral social media trend.”
In a recent press release, the Mount Prospect Police Department said that a 41-year-old victim told police officials at roughly 9:45 p.m. on July 8 that he had been “battered earlier in the evening by a group of teenagers in the parking lot of the business at 606 West Northwest Highway.” According to the press release, the man had arranged to meet someone at the location through an online dating app; however, the victim claimed that he was approached by a group of male teenagers after arriving at the location.
The 41-year-old victim claimed that the teenagers “confronted him verbally and battered him” and that the teenagers also damaged his vehicle. While the victim eventually was able to escape the group of teenagers, police officials said the teenagers continued to follow him in their vehicles.
According to the press release, a similar incident took place at 9:54 p.m. at the 400 block of See Gwun Avenue.
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“Upon arrival, officers spoke with the 23-year-old male victim who related that he was battered by a group of teenagers, who also damaged his vehicle. The victim related that he had used an online dating app to arrange to meet a person in the 900 block of West Lincoln Street,” police officials stated. “After arriving, the victim was approached by a group of teenage males, who confronted him verbally and battered him. While this was occurring, one of the teenagers slashed the tires on the victim’s vehicle.”
Police officials explained that the second victim was able to escape from the teenagers and was later transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
With the help of video surveillance, the Mount Prospect Police Department was later able to identify 11 teenagers who took part in at least one of the two incidents. Law enforcement officials have not released the identities of the 11 juveniles or revealed what dating apps the teens used to lure the two victims; however, ABC 7 reported that police sources have indicated that the teenagers allegedly used a gay dating app.
The teenagers currently face charges of aggravated battery, mob action, and criminal damage to property. One of the teenagers also allegedly used “a racial and another derogatory term,” resulting in two additional hate crime charges.
According to the press release, the teenagers turned themselves in to law enforcement officials in November and were placed in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago.
