A Compton man has recently been arrested for targeting and robbing at least 21 gay men he met on the dating app Grindr.
On Monday, Derrick Patterson, 22, was arrested and charged with a federal criminal complaint alleging that he used Grindr to target his victims between November 2019 and March 2022.
Prosecutors said that Patterson would allegedly meet his victims in their homes or hotels, then use weapons, such as knives or tasers, to obtain money or their cell phones.
According to court documents, Patterson physically assaulted victims on occasion – like in one October 2020 robbery when he allegedly stabbed the victim in the chest. Despite his injuries, the victim survived and was able to identify Patterson in a lineup.
During another incident, Patterson is accused of stealing a victim’s phone to try and access Apple Pay while engaging in consensual sexual activity. After the victim demanded his phone back, Patterson threatened him with a taser.
Prosecutors claim Patterson took his victims’ wallets, withdrew money from their bank accounts, and used credit cards for his benefit.
The FBI alleges that a search warrant for Patterson’s phone number located him near two hotels along Century Boulevard where similar robberies had taken place the same day.
Patterson’s latest robbery allegedly took place last month at Beverly Hills hotel, where he threatened to shoot the victim as he took his cell phone, demanding the four-digit passcode.
The criminal complaint alleges Patterson accessed Apple Pay, made Arvest and Zelle transfers and purchased a $500 DoorDash gift card with the phone.
The maximum sentence Paterson faces if convicted is 20 years in
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