LOS ANGELES (KNX) — More than 20 men were targeted by a robber on a dating app, according to the United States Attorney’s Office, which on Tuesday said 22-year-old Derrick Patterson targeted the men on Grindr from November 2019 to March 2022.
In a criminal complaint, the Compton man was accused of setting up meetings with his victims at their homes or in hotel rooms, purportedly for sexual encounters, and then proceeded to rob them.
“During the robberies, Patterson allegedly pulled weapons – varyingly, knives or a taser gun – on his victims, then demanded money and their cell phones, before fleeing the scene with the victims’ wallets,” the attorney’s office said in a statement shared with KNX.
On other occasions, Patterson physically assaulted his victims. In all instances Patterson is accused of allegedly withdrawing money from victims’ bank accounts or using their credit cards for personal expenses.
October 2020
During a robbery in October 2020, investigators said Patterson stabbed a victim in the chest, but the victim survived and later identified Patterson during a photographic line-up as his attacker.
September 2020
In September 2020, Patterson allegedly met a victim at a hotel on Century Boulevard in Los Angeles and, while engaging in consensual sexual activity, took the victim’s phone.
He then attempted to access Apple Pay by asking the victim for the password. However, police said, when the victim refused and demanded his phone back, Patterson pulled out a taser, threatened the victim, and continued to demand the victim’s Apple Pay password.
The victim fled, but when they returned noticed that Patterson had taken their wallet and several of their belongings had been rummaged through.
Investigators said a search warrant for Patterson’s phone number placed him near the location of the alleged crime – as well as at a different Century Boulevard hotel where a similar robbery was reported two hours earlier.
March 2022
Patterson’s final robbery allegedly happened on March 26 at a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., according to the affidavit.
Charges and a call for potential victims
If convicted, Patterson faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim or targeted by the defendant is urged to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
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