Many of us have wacky hookup stories, but this one is surely hard to top: 36-year-old, out gay Miami police sergeant of 15 years Tommy Reyes says he was relieved of duty and had to resign from his four-year seat as president of Miami’s Fraternal Order of Police union after he pulled a gun on a Grindr hookup who allegedly stole his wallet and tried to blackmail him.
A January 11 Tallahassee Police Department report states that Reyes had an “anon” Grindr date with a young Hispanic man at a Hampton Inn & Suites hotel while Reyes was visiting Tallahassee. According the report, the date was going so poorly that his date pretended to climax by “spitting on Reyes’ back,” before stealing Reyes’ wallet as he left.
Once the Grindr date saw Reyes’ police badge and law enforcement credentials, he reportedly threatened to blackmail Reyes unless Reyes allowed him to go on a “shopping spree” with his wallet. The man ended up spending $1,310.71 on Reyes’ American Express credit card, including purchases from Best Buy and a $10 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Reyes later met the man in the hotel parking lot to retrieve his wallet, allegedly snatching the man’s keys from his car ignition. The man reminded Reyes that he still had his wallet, and Reyes allegedly replied, “And I’ve got a gun.”
Reyes then reportedly held the man at gunpoint and forced him to lay on the ground of the parking lot. The man said Reyes put his knee on the man’s back and yelled, “I should fucking kill you,” before the man fled to a nearby gas station.
Tallahassee police showed up and looked up the license plate of the man’s car, finding it belonged to his mother. After police contacted her, she convinced her son to meet with police at the Florida A&M University police department.
Even though Reyes was the victim of an alleged theft, Tallahassee police says Reyes could’ve been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill, which is a third-degree felony. The Tallahassee-Leon County State Attorney’s Office instead opted not to pursue the case because they thought there would be “no reasonable likelihood of prosecution.”
Reyes was relieved of duty with pay on February 17, pending an ongoing internal affairs investigation by the Miami Police Department surrounding the events, according to The Miami Herald.
Reyes tells the Miami New Times that he was the victim of a crime, and Tallahassee PD “victimized” him.
“I was a victim, and I have nothing to hide, but I cannot comment on an open investigation,” he says. Reyes also notes that the suspension resulted from an anonymous complaint, asserting again he was the victim of a crime and, “I am once again being victimized by some of our own people.”
