Six teenage boys have been charged after an adult was lured to north Edmonton and assaulted.
The Edmonton Police Service says officers were called to the Calder area on March 27 about the assault.
It was reported to police that an adult arrived in the area to meet someone using the LGBTQ2S+ social media app Grindr.
When the victim arrived, they were confronted, assaulted with blunt objects, and robbed by a large group of teens, police say.
The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries, their parked vehicle was later found damaged as well.
Police identified several suspects and determined that the app was used to lure the victim under false pretenses.
On April 17 and 18, several search warrants were executed and six teenage boys between the ages of 15 and 16 were arrested and charged with offences including aggravated assault, robbery and mischief over $5,000.
“This use of social media to lure and assault someone is alarming and unacceptable,” Det. Scott Rowbotham said in a news release on Friday.
“Given the unpredictable nature of meeting people online, we’d like to remind everyone, regardless of age, to be mindful when first meeting someone they only know through online channels. If possible, plan a location and tell a friend where you are going.”
Rowbotham says if something does go wrong during an interaction planned on a third-party app it can be difficult for police to get the information needed for an investigation and urges anyone who has been a victim of a similar situation to contact police as soon as possible at 780-4223-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
