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Pair charged in date scheme tried to kill victim, police say

Two men face attempted murder charges after police said they lured a man under the guise of a date, stabbed him and dumped him in the desert.

Andres Cruz, 22, and Joaquin Carrasco, 42, are accused of kidnapping a man who thought he was going on a date with a woman he met online, according to a police report from the Metropolitan Police Department.

The victim told police that the woman he met online, who has not yet been charged, asked him to bring her a pizza. When he arrived at a house on Sept. 4 to meet the woman, Cruz and Carrasco were standing at the door. One of them held a gun while the pair “severely beat” the man, he told police.

The victim said his wrists were duct taped and the pair stole his wallet and bank cards, according to police. When they found no money in the victim’s accounts, they drove the man to a remote location, which police redacted in the report, and stabbed him twice.

The victim identified the home where he attempted to drop off the pizza and police spoke to the homeowner. The owner told police Cruz and Carrasco were the only people that lived in that home.

Both men were charged Sept. 14 with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and robbery, kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm, robbery with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, extortion and three counts of battery.

They are being held on $100,000 bail and are expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Oct. 21.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.

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