Philly Man Arrested in Grindr Rape, Robbery Case

A man was arrested Monday in connection to the rape and robbery of a Canadian man who met his attacker via Grindr during an April visit to Philadelphia, Philly Mag reports.

It was reported in April a 34-year-old man from Canada invited a man he met on the popular gay hookup app to his hotel. Upon arrival, the suspect held the man at gunpoint and sexually assaulted him. According to police reports, the suspect forced the man to buy him four $500 Visa gift cards and took him to four different ATMs to withdraw $200.

"The whole thing was just a giant blur. I was scared and I kept thinking if I just do what he says, then he'll just go away," the victim told local news stations at the time of the incident. "I was afraid to say anything. I was afraid of what was going to happen."

Police arrested the alleged assailant, Douglass Casey, 26, who has been charged with indecent deviant sexual intercourse, sexual assault, robbery, kidnapping for ransom, theft, unlawful restraint, terroristic threats, false imprisonment, simple assault and reckless endangerment.

"Casey is charged with assaulting and robbing a man he met on 'Grindr' in a Philadelphia hotel on April 9, 2014," a police report says. "Casey was arraigned, bail was set at $1 million dollars and his next court date is scheduled for June 26, 2014."

Philly Mag points out that Casey was arrested in 2009 for aggravated assault and that he pleaded guilty to theft in 2013.

Unfortunately, this isn't the only case of violence related to Grindr in Philadelphia. In May, it was reported that Dino Dizdarevic, 25, was beaten to death after meeting someone on the app.