Philly Grindr Hookup Turns Violent for Visiting Canadian Man

A man visiting Philly from Canada for an education conference had a violent run-in with a local Grindr hookup. NBC10 reports:

The 34-year-old victim, whose identity we are withholding, tells NBC10.com exclusively that he invited the suspect to his hotel room inside the Hilton Home 2 Suites at 12th and Arch Streets around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday after talking with him over Grindr.

When the suspect arrived, the man says he was held up at gunpoint and sexually assaulted. …

Following the assault, the victim said he was forced to buy four $500 Visa gift cards. He was then walked to five nearby ATMs and told to withdraw $200 from each cash machine.

The suspect and victim walked about 15 blocks – from 12th and Arch Streets to 20th and Walnut Streets – during the ordeal, the man said. Then inside a bar along the 2000 block of Walnut Street, the man was able to break free, run away and call police.

The PPD is asking for help in identifying the man, who is described as “20-years-old, standing 5 foot 11-inches tall with wavy hair and star tattoos on the back of his right hand. He was wearing a dark colored jacket, dark blue jeans and tan boots.”

UPDATE [4/12/2014, 6:36 p.m.]: Police release photos of suspect. More here.