A Texas teen couple is accused of turning dating apps into hunting grounds, leaving one 15-year-old boy shot four times and rattling families who thought online “matches” were safe.
Story Snapshot
- Texas prosecutors say 17-year-olds Alyssa Canul and Joseph Anthony Aguilar (also reported as Aguilar Campos) used dating apps to lure teenage boys into violent ambush robberies.[1][5]
- Police allege one victim was pistol-whipped at a park bench and another 15-year-old boy was shot four times but survived after hospitalization.[1][5]
- Authorities describe “a series of violent online dating traps,” but the public has not yet seen the full affidavits, digital records, or surveillance evidence behind the charges.[1][5]
- The case highlights growing concerns about social-media-fueled crime, broken families, and a justice system struggling to keep up while media narratives harden before trials ever begin.[1][5]
Police Say Dating Apps Became Bait for Violent Teen Robberies
Universal City police in Texas say two 17-year-olds, identified as Alyssa Canul and her boyfriend, Joseph Anthony Aguilar or Joseph Anthony Aguilar Campos, recently moved into the area and quickly began using online dating platforms to set up their alleged victims.[1][5] According to city statements summarized in multiple reports, authorities claim the pair “lured young men on online dating sites” and then robbed and assaulted them once they arrived at prearranged locations.[1][5] Officers describe the pattern as a string of “violent online dating traps” that escalated rapidly.
According to an arrest affidavit described by a San Antonio outlet and cited in later national coverage, Canul allegedly persuaded at least one teenage boy to meet her on a park bench, presenting the encounter as a normal date arranged through a dating app.[1][5] Police say that when the victim showed up, Aguilar emerged, pistol-whipped him, and stole his money before the couple allegedly fled.[1] Authorities further allege that the same basic scheme—online connection, friendly chat, then in-person ambush—was reused in another attack that turned even more violent.[1][5]
Near-Fatal Shooting of a 15-Year-Old Intensifies Public Alarm
In a separate incident tied to the same pattern, authorities say a 15-year-old boy was lured through online communication and ultimately shot four times during a robbery attempt linked to the teen couple.[1][5] Reports based on city statements say the boy survived but required hospitalization, turning what might once have been dismissed as “youthful mischief” into a near-homicide case that has shaken parents across Texas.[1][5] Police describe this as part of the same dating-app trap campaign, not a random, isolated shooting.
Investigators say they built their case over multiple incidents, ultimately arresting Aguilar first, reportedly using a multi-agency tactical operation, before detaining Canul and booking her into the Bexar County jail on aggravated robbery charges.[1][5] Authorities also claim they intercepted a phone call in which Canul allegedly discussed getting rid of the firearm used in the robberies, which they say helped support the charges.[1] Public reporting, however, has not yet released the full text of the affidavit or detailed forensic reports, leaving citizens reliant on summarized police accounts while the legal process continues.[5]
Presumption of Innocence, Media Narratives, and a Wider Pattern of App-Based Crime
Public records so far come mainly from police press releases and secondary news articles, not from full sworn affidavits or complete charging documents, so defense attorneys can argue that the visible record is incomplete.[1][5] Coverage does not yet show the underlying phone extractions, dating-app logs, ballistics tests, or surveillance footage that might tie each defendant to each moment of each crime.[1][5] Reports also vary on the boyfriend’s full name, reflecting minor inconsistencies that often appear when stories move quickly from local crime blotter to national headlines.[1][5]
A Texas teen couple is accused of using online dating apps to lure victims before robbing them in two separate attacks. Police allege 17-year-old Alyssa Canul arranged meetings with the victims, while her boyfriend, 18-year-old Joseph Aguilar Campos, carried out the robberies. pic.twitter.com/M6SZ9pcYyN
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 1, 2026
Even with those gaps, the allegations match a broader pattern that law enforcement across the country has been warning about for years: criminals using dating platforms or social media to isolate victims and then rob or assault them.[2][3] Texas saw a similar case in 2018, when two 17-year-olds in the Houston area were accused of using an app to lure and attack a man, while California authorities have reported teen crews doing the same thing to unsuspecting men who thought they were heading to ordinary dates.[3] For conservative families already worried about broken homes, lack of discipline, and digital addiction, this case reinforces concerns that online culture is outpacing parental oversight and traditional values.
Sources:
[1] Web – Texas teens accused of using dating apps to lure young men into …
[2] Web – Texas teen couple used dating apps to lure young men into violent …
[3] Web – Texas teens accused of using dating apps to lure young men into …
[5] Web – Lure and Rob Violently: How a Texas teen couple used dating apps …
