Police last week identified a Philadelphia man accused of raping, assaulting and robbing a tourist he met on gay male dating app Grindr.
Police announced April 11 that they believe Douglas Spady, 26, is responsible for an incident involving a 34-year-old male who was in town for an educational conference.
The victim reported to police that he had been assaulted and robbed at about 1:30 p.m. April 9 by a man he met on Grindr and subsequently invited to his hotel room.
Spady, of the 5200 block of Cottage Street, allegedly pulled a gun on the victim after he entered his hotel room at the Hilton Home 2 Suites at 12th and Arch streets.
Spady allegedly sexually assaulted the victim and then forced him at gunpoint to purchase four $500 Visa gift cards and withdraw $200 from five ATMs, totaling $3,000 in losses.
Spady is 5-foot-11 with star tattoos on the back of his neck. He has wavy hair. At the time of the incident, he was wearing dark-blue jeans, tan boots and a dark-colored jacket.
Spady has an arrest record that includes theft and possession of marijuana.
Lt. John Stanford said there are no leads on Spady’s whereabouts, but said it is thanks to the public that police identified him.
“We had tips come in from the public,” he said. “Now, along with our investigators, we are relying on public help to find the suspect.”
Investigators are looking into whether Spady could be connected to similar crimes, Stanford said.
Stanford said no crime trends involving Grindr have been reported, but added that people should use extreme caution when using any type of dating website or app.
“You don’t know the individual on the other side of the app or website, so try and meet them in a public space or group setting,” he said. “If you can, do it in the daytime hours so you don’t feel isolated and in a situation which is not a comfortable one or one that could be dangerous.”
