Teens arrested in plot to lure men on dates, then shooting, robbing victims

SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) - Three teens in Solano County are accused of using social media to lure men to remote areas, then shooting and robbing the victims.

Amit Chhoker, 18, Branden Lerma, 19, and a 17-year-old boy are all facing criminal charges in the plot, KCRA reports.

Investigators say Chhoker would chat with the men online before setting up a time to meet. 
 
“She picks him up and drives him out to the location,” Solano County Undersheriff Brad DeWall told reporters. 

Authorities say the first victim was an 18-year-old who Chhoker met online in April. She allegedly picked him up and drove to a remote spot on Putah Creek R    oad near Lake Solano Park. 

“Once they got to that location, they started to get romantic,” DeWall said. “Quickly, these two males entered the vehicle.”

Lerma and the 17-year-old were hiding and waiting, deputies said. 

The teens allegedly shot and robbed the victim, before fleeing the scene, KCRA reports. 

The victim was able to contact law enforcement and get help. 

In a second incident, two months after the first crime occurred, deputies were called to the exact location. 

Investigators said another teen had been shot after getting picked up by a woman he met online.

“Not only in the same fashion is this executed, but the descriptions are matching, and there are very similar patterns,” DeWall said.

Both victims reported they had been picked up by a woman they met online who was driving a green Land Rover. 

Those details helped advance the investigation.

A surveillance camera from a nearby home caught video of an SUV driving in the area the night of one of the shootings. 

Investigators say one of the victim's cellphones pinged to the Woodland neighborhood, KCRA says. 

Officers spotted a green Land Rover in the area. 

Chhoker was arrested earlier this week while driving the SUV. Lerma and the 17-year-old were arrested two days later. 

The vehicle was seized and investigators for blood inside. 

The teens are being held without bail and investigators are looking into whether there are additional victims.