A 26-year-old man from Maryland has been arrested on multiple charges for raping, robbing and carjacking two men he met through dating apps, police said.
Rodney Richardson, from Brandywine, reportedly carried out the crimes against the unidentified men after threatening them at gunpoint in two separate instances.
The most recent accusation against Richardson was reported to cops on Feb. 12, two days after the alleged incident. Richardson allegedly raped the man at gunpoint and then forced him to take out $4,500 from his bank account. He also threatened to kill him and his family if he did not comply, WUSA 9 reported.
“The preliminary investigation revealed Richardson met the victim, an adult male, on a popular dating app. The two agreed to meet in Brandywine. During that encounter, Richardson raped the victim at gunpoint. In addition, he drove the victim to the victim’s bank and forced him to take out money,” Prince George’s County Police Department said in a news release Thursday.
Investigators had already received a report of an armed carjacking involving Richardson in Brandywine on Feb. 2. A man who had amputations was left stranded without his phone, wallet or crutches after Richardson carjacked his vehicle, reports said.
“The fact that he was armed in both of these assaults, you know, makes it very disturbing and heinous types of crimes to the police department,” Prince George’s County Police Department Major Zachary O’Lare said during a press conference Thursday.
Richardson was taken into the custody of the Department of Corrections on Feb.13.
Anyone with information about Richardson can call the sexual assault unit detectives at (301) 772-4908. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), report at the department’s website or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
In a similar incident last month, a man in South Carolina was arrested after he sexually assaulted several women who were lured through dating apps. The suspect, 29-year-old Antonius Donshe Randolph, reportedly assaulted and robbed at least five women who were lured through various dating sites.
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