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Cameron County inmates charged in connection with dating app assault in Brownsville

Cameron County inmates charged in connection with dating app assault in Brownsville
1 month 1 week 5 days ago Friday, July 26 2024 Jul 26, 2024 July 26, 2024 6:21 PM July 26, 2024 in News - Local
Michael Osvaldo Peña and Eduardo Ruiz. Photo credit: Brownsville Police Department.

The Brownsville Police Department identified two Cameron County inmates as the suspects they said were involved in an aggravated robbery that stemmed from an online dating encounter.

A total of four individuals, including a juvenile, were charged in connection with the June 29 attack, police said.

Eduardo Ruiz, 20, and Michael Osvaldo Peña, 22, are facing new charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping, engaging in organized criminal activity and unlawful restraint in connection with the alleged assault, according to police spokesperson Abril Luna.

The investigation began on June 29 when Brownsville police officers responded to a report of an aggravated robbery. According to a news release, police encountered the male victim, who stated that he was ambushed by a group of “armed males” at the 2200 block of South Dakota Avenue as he went to meet up with someone he had been talking to on a dating app.

READ MORE: Police: Brownsville man assaulted and robbed during online dating encounter

“The victim was then tied up, struck on the head, and forcibly placed in the backseat of his own vehicle,” the news release stated. “The suspects then transported the victim to an isolated field at the 2200 block of Illinois Avenue, where he was assaulted again before being thrown out of the vehicle.”

Ernesto Emmanuel Jimenez, 17, was previously identified by police as one of the suspects in the attack.

Jimenez, Peña and Ruiz were in custody on unrelated charges when they were served with warrants on the new charges.

Peña and Ruiz’s warrants were issued on Wednesday. Bond for Peña was set at $825,000, while Ruiz was not issued a bond. 

Luna said no other arrests are expected in connection with the investigation. 

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