fresno

Women posing as prostitutes lure men into violent robberies in Fresno

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

In two incidents, women posing as prostitutes led men to hotel rooms where they were beaten and robbed by men hiding in the room.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In two incidents, women posing as prostitutes led men to hotel rooms where they were beaten and robbed by men hiding in the room.

The first incident happened around 1 a.m. Tuesday on Parkway near Belmont in West Central Fresno. The victim told police he was approached by a woman posing as a prostitute who lured him into a hotel room. Once inside the room, police said the man was stripped of his clothing, and three men robbed and hit him several times in the head with a shotgun. The victim was then held captive in the bathroom for over an hour. When the victim felt safe, he left the bathroom to find that his car had also been stolen.

The victim was able to flag down a police officer in the area. Several hours later, police said they found the stolen car nearby and officers saw the woman leaving the hotel room and walking towards the vehicle.

Police arrested 28-year-old Angela Castaneda of Madera for false imprisonment and robbery.

Suspects Angela Castaneda and Vanessa Hurtado
Fresno Police Department

The next incident happened around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Police said they were called to the Motel 6 on Crystal Avenue in West Central Fresno after robbery victims were chasing suspect through the parking lot.

Police said the victim and his friend were in the area looking for prostitutes. After negotiating an agreement with two women, they both went to separate rooms. When the victim was in the room, two men came out of the bathroom and started to beat him and attempted to remove his money from his clothing. The victim was able to fight off the two men and as the suspect fled, the victim chased them into the parking lot.

When police arrived, the male suspects left the scene. Police said the woman, identified as 21-year-old Vanessa Hurtado of Fresno was arrested on robbery charges.

In both incidents, Police said the woman lured men into a room with male accomplices who would then beat and rob the victims. Police believe there may be more similar incidents that have occurred over the past several months.