A Florida man was arrested after a Tinder date with a woman four decades younger than him ended with him holding her friend at gunpoint.
David O’Brien was charged with four counts of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the incident that took place on Wednesday, July 22.
Deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office learned of the situation when they reported to a car accident, where they allegedly found O’Brien, 67, with a gun, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Us.
Responding officers found O’Brien and four victims, and they were all taken to the police station to explain how a Tinder date resulted in the accident.
Authorities learned that O’Brien matched with the victim, a 21-year-old woman, on Tinder on June 27. They reportedly did not speak much until July 12, when O’Brien told her that he was “looking for a sugar baby.” O’Brien and the woman then exchanged phone numbers and began texting.
O’Brien reportedly told the woman he would give her $1,000 each time they met, as well as pay for her dinners and buy her things.
The pair agreed to meet for dinner on July 22, and the victim had three friends drive her to the date. O’Brien then took her to a lingerie store and bought her three items before they ate dinner and he gave her $600, per the affidavit.
Once their dinner was done, O’Brien and the victim went back to his home. However, she said she felt “uncomfortable” and asked to have her friends pick her up.
O’Brien reportedly grew upset with the victim and told her to “give the money back because that was not the agreement,” according to the affidavit.
The victim then left with her friends, and O’Brien allegedly got in his vehicle and chased them.
O’Brien “rammed the back” of the victims’ car when they approached a roundabout, which caused them to hit a pole. Three of the victims managed to run away, but O’Brien allegedly pointed a gun at his date’s friend, a 22-year-old man, and “told him to get on the ground or he would kill him.”
The victim got on the ground but safely escaped when he noticed that O’Brien was distracted. Officers arrived at the scene soon after and the group was taken in for interviews.
O’Brien allegedly confirmed to police that he was looking for a “sugar baby” and offered to pay his date $1,000 for each visit. He added that he had a similar arrangement in another state and that it “worked out perfectly for him.”
He then told police that the date asked to leave his home and he asked for the money back because “things were not going to go as he had planned.” O’Brien went on to claim that the victim said she would give the money back once she was outside of his home, though she allegedly got into her friend’s car before she gave it back.
O’Brien told authorities he felt that she “scammed” him. He allegedly admitted to chasing the victims and claimed that one of the victims lost control and crashed the vehicle. O’Brien added that he believed the victims’ car was stolen because they got out after the crash and ran away.
The defendant claimed he pulled out his gun in an attempt to “control the situation,” though he denied pointing the weapon at the male victim.
O’Brien was taken into custody at Sumter County Jail and has since been released after he posted a $90,000 bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on August 14.
It is not currently clear if O’Brien has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest.
