Police arrested three males as suspects in a “blind date” robbery scheme in which victims would be wooed by a supposed female they met online who persuaded them to bring a large amount of cash to their tryst so she could roll around in it.
Police served warrants on Thursday morning, one in the 50 block of Evandale Avenue in Mountain View and the other in the 2200 block of Ralmar Avenue in East Palo Alto. They arrested Nazario Cruz of Mountain View and Jose Urias of East Palo Alto, both 19, and a juvenile who was not identified.
Mountain View police said they have been working on the case since the first incident happened in May.
“This case was nontrivial and required us to really strategize
how we were going to uncover these suspects who were extremely brazen in their tactics,” Detective Kevin Galloway said.
The three were arrested without incident.
According to the police report, male victims were in contact with someone they believed to be a female online, who lured them into a blind date.
“She convinced them to bring a considerable amount of cash with them because it was her desire to roll around in it,” states the report. “However, when the victims arrived at the designated meeting place, they were robbed by two men, one of whom was thought to have a firearm.”
Galloway said there are three confirmed reports of such robberies happening in Mountain View. He urged any other victims to come forward.
Anyone with information about the case or who may be a victim can contact Detective Galloway at 650-903-6150 ext. 6624. Anonymous tips may be made to by texting 274637 and including “mvtips” in the body of the message.
