Missouri teen accused of using dating app to lure man into violent antigay trap

An 18-year-old in Missouri is facing charges in a suspected antigay attack after police said he lured a man to a park through a dating app and joined four others in attacking them.

According to St. Louis County court documents, Abdulwareth A. Alahmad has been charged with first-degree assault or attempted assault, a Class B felony, and first-degree property damage motivated by discrimination, a Class D felony.

Ellisville police say the man came to the police station on October 21 to report that they had been talking to a man named “Adam” online and had agreed to meet at Bluebird Park. The two spoke briefly before “Adam” said, “I actually hate gay people.” The victim said four other people, whom police believe are juveniles, emerged from nearby bushes and joined in the attack.

According to the report, “the defendant and the others began punching the victim in the head and torso. The victim fell to the ground and the defendants continued to punch him and kicked him in the head and torso.”

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The man said the attackers demanded their keys and “stuff” and repeatedly used homophobic and racial slurs. They reached their car but dropped their iPhone along the way.

Police said detectives obtained surveillance video and audio recordings that corroborated the victim’s account. According to the report, recordings captured the five people leaving the park, returning and “knowingly” smashing the dropped iPhone “because of MM’s sexual orientation.” The phone was later recovered at the scene.

After being treated for their injuries, the victim identified Alahmad as “Adam” in a photo lineup. Alahmad was arrested and charged within 24 hours, and bail was initially set at $200,000.

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Alahmad’s lawyer, however, told St. Louis Fox affiliate KTVI that the allegations stem from mistaken identity and that he expects the charges to be dropped.

St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK reported that a Facebook post announcing the charges had been deleted from the police department’s page, but Ellisville Police Chief Andrew Vaughn said the investigation was ongoing. The Advocate left a voicemail seeking comment on why the Facebook post was deleted but has not received a response.

Ellisville police are still working to identify the four other people and believe similar incidents may have gone unreported.

They encourage anyone who has experienced a similar encounter to call the Ellisville Police Department at 636-227-7777 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).