A possible Tinder date turned into a stickup when a man was robbed of thousands of dollars from an armed couple when he showed up for a date, Arizona police said.
The male victim arrived at an Embassy Suites hotel room last month in Phoenix after he matched with a woman named “Sonya” on the dating-app, police said.
But instead of meeting a potential date, the victim was welcomed into the room by the two suspects, Fox 10 reported, citing a police report.
The male suspect, Jose Sandoval Jaquez, pointed a gun at the victim, and ordered him to give up his cell phone and other belongings, the police report states.
The man was also forced to hand over his identification cards, PIN codes, bank account and social media information.
The suspects then demanded the man drive with them to a nearby Chase Bank before they took off with his car.
“While they drove his car to the bank, the unknown male continued to have the gun out and provide instructions for the victim,” the police report stated. “The victim stated $900 was taken from Chase Bank on Sept. 17 from the drive through and a total of $3,000 had been taken from his account since the initial incident.”
The suspects were identified as Jaquez, 32, and Crystal Hulsey, 33, after authorities said the couple used their real names for the hotel and when they pulled money from the victim’s account, CBS 5 reported.
The couple used the victim’s car to drive to California and Las Vegas before police officers in Vegas tried to pull them over, the station reported. The pair reportedly ditched the vehicle and fled on foot, somehow grabbing a ride back to Phoenix.
The victim’s car was reportedly found on Sept. 25 with a gun inside.
Later that same week, Phoenix police saw an escort ad online that matched Hulsey’s number and set up a location to meet the woman, according to the report. When Hulsey arrived in a Nissan Rogue with Jaquez driving at La Quinta Inn, police attempted to arrest the pair, but they instead quickly drove off, according to Fox 10.
During the high-speed chase, the couple carjacked the driver of another car and again attempted to flee, police said.
Their escape from authorities eventually ended when they collided with another vehicle while they were on the wrong side of a highway, Fox 10 reported. They reportedly tried to steal another car, but this time police moved in to take them into custody.
In an interview with police, Jaquez said “he knew this would come back to get him,” police said, according to Fox 10.
Hulsey and Jaquez both face charges of assault, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, robbery and two counts of vehicle theft.