18-year-old charged in hate-motivated attack after luring victim through dating app, police say

ELLISVILLE, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) - An 18-year-old in Missouri was charged in a hate-motivated attack after allegedly luring a victim through a dating app, according to authorities.

Around 2:20 a.m. Oct. 21, the victim went to Bluebird Park to meet a man named Adam, whom he had been talking to on a dating site.

When the victim met the man he thought was Adam, the suspect, identified as Abdulwareth A. Alahmad, told him, “I actually hate gay people,” and four men who were hiding in nearby bushes approached him.

The group then punched the victim in the head and torso. When he fell to the ground, the group continued punching and kicking him.

According to charging documents, during the attack, the group used slurs and told the victim they wanted his belongings. The victim dropped his iPhone 16 during the attack and was able to get in his car while the taunts continued. The phone was later found smashed at the park.

The victim drove to the Ellisville Police Department.

The attack was captured on surveillance video. Detectives said Flock cameras captured Alahmad leaving the park.

The victim identified Alahmad in a photo lineup.

Alahmad is charged with first-degree assault and property damage motivated by discrimination.