Texas inmates used dating app to lure man into ambush, cops say

Two inmates at the Cameron County Prison, in Texas, have been identified among the primary suspects of a crime where a victim was ambushed following a faux online dating encounter.

The crime took place on June 29. Then, police found a man who said he had been attacked by a group of "armed males" after he went up to meet someone he had been talking to on a dating app.

Authorities said the man was "tied up, struck on the head, and forcibly placed in the backseat of his own vehicle." He was then taken to an "isolated field at the 2200 block of Illinois Avenue, where he was assaulted again before being thrown out of the vehicle."

Two of the four men seemingly involved in the crime are Eduardo Ruiz, 20, and Michael Osvaldo Peña, 22. They are facing charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, engaging in organized criminal activity and unlawful restraint in connection with the alleged assault, police spokesperson Abril Luna detailed.

Both inmates were in custody on unrelated charges and served with warrants on the new ones following the investigation. A bond for Peña was set at $825,000, while Ruiz was not issued one.

A minor who was also detained was connected to the crime as well. 17-year-old Ernesto Emmanuel Jimenez had already been identified as a suspect earlier this month. His detention prompted authorities to urge the population to take precautionary measures when meeting someone from an online dating app for the first time.

"We recommend you share your location with a family member or trusted friend and tell them who you're meeting with in case something happens," said Abril Luna in mid-July. "It can happen to anyone, even through a Facebook purchase. You could be buying something and meet someone for an exchange and get assaulted."