He used a dating app to meet a woman, but ended up shot in the buttocks

PETERSBURG, Va. (WTVR) -- Police are investigating an attempted robbery and shooting that sources linked to a dating app.

Those sources told WTVR CBS 6 senior reporter Wayne Covil that the victim thought he was meeting a woman.

However, when he arrived to a dark, narrow Petersburg street Wednesday morning, someone was waiting to rob him, sources said.

Sources told WTVR CBS 6 that the victim had been using a dating app and thought he was meeting a woman on Leavenworth Street.

However, he found someone that tried to rob him, sources said. The victim was shot in the buttocks and took off running, eventually turning on Ferndale and running about three blocks before stopping at a random house.

Similar circumstances happened in the same neighborhood on May 12, 2017.

In that instance, law enforcement warned the public that robbers were using dating websites and meet-up apps to target their victims.

At that time, Petersburg Police said they were working about five cases, including one involving a man being shot.

Investigators warned that people need to be careful meeting people in an unfamiliar area and to understand they could be targeted for robbery.