Midtown Hills Precinct undercover detectives last night arrested a third man in connection to multiple robberies linked to dating apps that occurred in the Hillside Avenue area beginning last November.
Previously: “Metro Police used gay hookup app Jack’d to buy marijuana, were sold actual lawn grass instead“
Marcus K. Brown, 20, is charged with one count of aggravated robbery for the January 26th hold-up of a man in a parking lot. The victim responded to the location thinking that he was meeting a date. At the time of last night’s arrest, Brown was free on $21,000 bond for the June 2017 robbery of Resha’s Bi-Rite market on 25th Avenue North where he was the admitted getaway driver. Brown remains jailed in lieu of $25,000 bond.
Ronald Malone Jr., 18, was arrested Friday on a grand jury indictment charging him with three separate hold-ups on December 6th, 5th, and 1st in which the male victims drove to Hillside Avenue after making arrangement to meet persons through a dating app and were robbed at gunpoint. He is being held in lieu of $75,000 bond.
A third suspect involved in the robberies, Javon Fields, 19, has been jailed since his December 11th arrest for conspiracy to sell counterfeit marijuana He and Malone were both charged in this case after they thought that they had lured another victim to the area but instead had actually been communicating through a dating app with Midtown Hills Precinct undercover detectives who were working to prevent further robberies.
On December 18th, while still jailed, Fields was charged with the December 2nd hold-up of a man who was robbed at gunpoint on Hillside Avenue after arranging a meeting on a dating app.
MNPD LGBTQ liaison Officer Catie Poole assisted in the investigation.
