4 teens accused of using dating app to rob UC Berkeley student at gunpoint

PIX Now

(L-R) Nina Mendoza, Royal James Lawrence Berkeley Police Department

BERKELEY -- Berkeley police arrested four people, including two juveniles, accused of using a dating app to meet up with a UC Berkeley student and rob him at gunpoint in his apartment.

According to police, the victim -- a man in his 20s -- and one of the suspects -- 19-year-old Oakland resident Nina Mendoza Nieves -- arranged a meetup on a dating app around 1 a.m. Tuesday.

They met in front of his apartment complex on Prospect Street, not far from California Memorial Stadium, and left the door slightly open. Three other suspects came in and robbed the victim at gunpoint, stealing cash and electronics.

Police said they then used the same dating app to set up another meeting with the suspect, this time at the Berkeley Marina.

Around 3:45 a.m. officers found the suspects in a car and arrested all four of them. Inside the car they found some stolen items as well as a BB gun and a loaded handgun.

In addition to Nieves, police arrested 19-year-old Oakland resident James Royal Lawrence, a 17-year-old Stockton girl and a 16-year-old boy. They were booked on suspicion of home invasion robbery as well as other weapons-related charges.

Police said the case remained under investigation.