HORRIBLE

Two Men Charged With Hate Crimes for Allegedly Using Grindr to Lure Gay Men to Beatings, Robberies

At least 9 gay men were allegedly tricked into visiting a Dallas apartment, where they were beaten and robbed at gunpoint.

Federal authorities have charged two men with hate crimes for allegedly creating fake profiles on the dating app Grindr to lure gay men to a Texas apartment where they were beaten and robbed at gunpoint, according to an indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The Dallas Morning News reports that the indictment accuses Daniel Jenkins, 19, and Michael Atkinson, 24, of tricking at least nine gay men into visiting the apartment and then brutally abusing them. A release from the Department of Justice alleges that “at least five victims were physicaly (sic) assaulted, one was sexually assaulted with an object, and one was smeared with feces.” Their official charges include hate crimes, kidnapping, carjacking, and using a firearm during a crime of violence, the Morning News notes. The alleged assaults occurred in December of 2017, and the victims were arrested the following August. The original indictment, which was also filed in August, was updated on Tuesday to include new charges.