A 19-year-old Miami-Dade man was arrested after authorities say an online date escalated into an armed robbery at his home in Miami Lakes.
Willie James Taylor was taken into custody Monday night and faces charges of armed robbery and battery by strangulation, according to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said Taylor met the woman through a dating app, exchanged phone numbers and arranged for her to come to his residence. After arriving, the woman was invited inside and went to use the restroom, the report said.
When she exited, Taylor allegedly grabbed her by the neck, shoved her against a wall and pressed a gun to her head. Authorities said he then forcefully took her purse from her wrist.
The report states Taylor pointed the firearm at the woman and ordered her to leave. She fled the residence and contacted the police.
Deputies responded to the area and located Taylor in a nearby parking lot, where he was detained. Investigators said he was found with $200 in cash that had been inside the victim’s purse, and the woman positively identified him as the suspect.
Taylor denied involvement in the robbery, according to the report, but was arrested and booked into jail.
