11 Illinois teenagers charged after utilizing relationship apps to allegedly lure and beat males as a part of a social media pattern

Almost a dozen Illinois youngsters have been slapped with felony expenses after they allegedly used relationship apps to lure and beat two grownup males over the summer season — reportedly as a part of a social media pattern, in line with police.

Among the 11 teenagers concerned — all boys aged 16 and 17 — have been impressed by a cryptic viral social media pattern, the Mount Prospect Police Division stated in a press release on Thursday with out elaborating on particulars of the obvious pattern.

One of many victims, a 41-year-old man, reported to police that he’d been crushed by “a bunch of youngsters” in a car parking zone on West Northwest Freeway in Mount Prospect, Illinois round 9:45 p.m. on July 8.

“The sufferer associated that he had utilized an internet relationship app to rearrange to satisfy an individual at that location. After arriving, the sufferer associated that he was approached by a bunch of teenage males, who confronted him verbally and battered him. Youngsters within the group additionally broken the sufferer’s automobile,” police stated.

Police didn’t specify what relationship apps the group used to nab their would-be victims.

The youngsters allegedly tailed the 41-year-old when he tried to bolt to his automotive, however he managed to flee, the native division stated.

Cops responded to a report of an identical battery a mere 10 minutes later.

The group’s second sufferer, a 23-year-old man, advised police that he was supposed to satisfy somebody he met on a relationship app only a mile away from the situation of the primary assault when he was ganged up on and crushed by the teenagers. One in every of them even slashed certainly one of his automotive tires, in line with the police report.

Even with one tire indisposed, the sufferer was in a position to drive away. He couldn’t get very far with the slashed tire and stopped at a close-by residence to name 911, police stated.

Investigators used surveillance footage to trace down the teenage brutes.

“The Mount Prospect Police Detectives have been in a position to find video surveillance footage that captured the incident at 606 West Northwest Freeway and have been in a position to establish among the offenders within the video,” police stated.

“An intensive investigation was performed the place 11 whole juveniles have been recognized as collaborating in a single or each incidents.”

Every of the 11 teenagers was charged with one or two counts of aggravated battery, legal injury to property and mob motion, relying on their involvement within the assaults.

Detectives additionally stated that one of many teenagers used “a racial and one other derogatory time period” throughout one of many alleged incidents, tacking on two hate crime expenses for that teen, in line with police.

Not one of the teenagers have been publically named by police as a result of they’re all minors. All of them turned themselves in final month and have been taken to Chicago’s Prepare dinner County Juvenile Detention Middle.

Mount Prospect Police hope different teenagers study from the accused’s mistake.

“We’re asking dad and mom to take these incidents as a possibility to speak with their teenage kids concerning the seriousness of actively collaborating in all these developments they see on social media,” Police Chief Michael Eterno stated.

The costs have been accepted by the Prepare dinner County State’s Lawyer’s Workplace, in line with the MPPD.