Four suspects, including a 16-year-old, were arrested after allegedly robbing a Tucker man at gunpoint during a dating app scheme, authorities confirmed.
Nicholas Schafer, 18, of Porterdale, De'andre Smith, 18, of Covington, Ikaria Washington, 23, of Covington, and the juvenile were arrested after Covington police received an online tip last week, police spokesman Justin Stott told AJC.com.
The four are accused of using the dating app BLK to trick the victim into thinking he was meeting a woman for a date in Covington last Monday, AJC.com previously reported. BLK is owned by the same parent company as Tinder and is marketed toward “young millennial African-Americans.”
RELATED: DeKalb man forced to drive to ATM, robbed during dating app meetup
When the man arrived at the meetup address, he was confronted by a woman and three gunmen, Stott previously said. The four suspects got into the victim’s car and rode together to a Wells Fargo branch off Ga. 142, he said.
One of the gunmen used the victim’s debit card to withdraw an unknown amount of money from his account, Stott said. The victim attempted to wrestle the man’s gun away and a gunshot was fired during the incident. No one was struck by the bullet.
The suspects then left in the victim’s vehicle, investigators said.
On Tuesday, police released surveillance video of a suspect using the ATM in an effort to identify the armed robber.
The four arrests were made Thursday, Stott said. Schafer, Smith and Washington face charges of armed robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault, Newton County jail records show. Washington also faces a count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The 16-year-old will be charged as an adult with armed robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault, Stott said. AJC.com only identifies juveniles who are being charged as adults, but this suspect’s name was not provided by police.
AJC.com has reached out to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office to request the suspects’ mug shots.
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