A man was held hostage at gunpoint in the Washington apartment of an individual he met on a dating app, police announced Tuesday.
The 30-year-old man told deputies Saturday that he drove to an apartment complex in Parkland, Washington, to meet a woman he communicated with on the app Plenty of Fish, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. After the victim had spent about 5 minutes in the apartment with the woman, a man appeared, allegedly held him at gunpoint, and ordered him to remove his clothes and hand over his money.
The female suspect allegedly took photos of the victim once he had removed his clothes, police said. The suspects then allegedly forced him to unlock his phone and transfer $6,000 to their bank account, though the transaction failed after being marked as fraudulent. The victim claimed the suspects forced him to attempt numerous transactions and even impersonated him over the phone in an attempt to complete the transfer.
The suspects released the victim after three hours and threatened to share the nude photos if he reported the incident, police said. Despite the threats, the victim notified the police, and deputies were able to identify the suspects from social media.
The male suspect was arrested the following day when deputies recognized him while responding to a domestic violence call. The 22-year-old reportedly attempted to reach for a gun, but deputies quickly restrained him and placed him under arrest. (RELATED: 15-Year-Old Charged With Murder After Kidnapping Man At Gunpoint)
The suspect tried to escape the back of the patrol vehicle by moving his handcuffs to the front of his body and attempting to break the interior door panel, police said. The vehicle had to be sent in for repairs after the suspect broke the top of the seat belt fastener.
The two suspects have been charged with first degree kidnapping, robbery and extortion, police said. The male suspect has been additionally charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and malicious mischief. The male suspect’s bond was set at $125,000 and the 19-year-old female suspect’s was set at $50,000.
“The male suspect has multiple prior felony convictions, including a juvenile conviction for robbery in the first degree, and convictions for assault in the second degree and residential burglary as an adult,” police said. “He also has a prior conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm and is currently on supervision with the Department of Corrections.”