Sheriff: Florida Suspects Lure Elderly Man to Violent Robbery After Promise of ‘Romantic Date’

A 73-year-old man in Daytona Beach, Florida, says he was beaten with a metal object and robbed after a woman lured him with a romantic date.

The suspects in the case, who are currently in custody, were identified as 34-year-old Chelsea Wright and 33-year-old Andrew Marks, Fox 13 reported Saturday.

Photos show the pair involved in the case:

When the elderly man arrived at the hospital on Thursday around 5:00 a.m., he told staffers he had been assaulted and robbed near the Plantation Pines neighborhood.

In a social media post on Saturday, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office detailed the case:

Detectives learned that the victim had met with Wright at a Daytona Beach bar to talk about their romantic relationship. Wright suggested he come back to her house, and he agreed, following her vehicle in his own.

At one point on the drive, Wright stopped to pick up someone from the side of the road. She continued driving, with the victim following, then stopped and dropped off her passenger near a home. The victim then got out of his car and approached Wright’s vehicle.

That’s when the passenger reappeared, hitting the victim in the head with a hard metal object, and continuing to beat him when he fell to the ground in the fetal position. The attacker then stole the victim’s wallet and fled. Wright fled, too, leaving the victim bleeding on the ground.

During the incident, the elderly man suffered injuries on his head, torso, and arms. He was injured so badly that the cuts on his head needed staples and one of his eyes had swollen closed as a result of the assault, sheriff’s officials said.

When officials later pulled Wright over for a traffic infraction, deputies searched her vehicle and found narcotics. She was taken into custody on drug charges and probation violations.

She later claimed the attacker in the case was an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s to whom she offered a ride. Marks was later identified as the woman’s former boyfriend.

The pair reportedly sent text messages to each other planning the robbery. Officials arrested Marks on Friday regarding charges of robbery with a weapon and aggravated battery on a person over 65 years old.