Police are warning people to be cautious when getting together with someone they’ve met through social networking after a man was tied up and robbed by another man he met through a chat line.
The 52-year-old victim called a telephone chat line and arranged to meet another man at his East Vancouver apartment on Sunday morning, Vancouver Const. Anne Longley said yesterday.
“As soon as they were inside the apartment, the invited person sucker-punched the homeowner in the face, knocking him to the ground,” Longley said.
“He then tied the man to a chair and stole his wallet, car keys and his car. He left the victim tied to the chair and he escaped in the victim’s car.”
A neighbour called police after hearing the victim calling for help.
Police spotted the victim’s car in the Downtown Eastside that night.
Twenty-nine-year-old Anthony Paul McDonald was arrested. Longley said he was wanted in Victoria for forcible confinement, and has been charged by Vancouver Police for the assault on Sunday.
