Instagram date trap leads Florida man to deadly attack

A Florida man chasing a date on Instagram instead found himself walking into a violent ambush, in a case that shows how online flirtation can become a real world danger.

According to arrest affidavits, Nicholas Lavallee and Anne Aksell were arrested in Orange County last week after investigators linked them to a planned attack at an apartment complex.

The victim told deputies he had followed Aksell on Instagram for about a year before the two began exchanging messages, reports Tampa Free Pass.

The conversation took a strange turn when a man claiming to be Aksell’s boyfriend stepped in and warned him to stay away.

Investigators say the two men later spoke directly and appeared to reach an understanding. Despite that, the messages continued and the victim agreed to meet at the apartment complex.

What awaited him was not a date. Court documents allege that Lavallee and Aksell alongside at least two other unidentified men surrounded the victim as soon as he arrived.

Deputies say the group beat and robbed him in a frightening attack that involved an axe.

The victim managed to break free and ran away, encountering a woman on the way who later called on the police.

Both Lavallee and Aksell now face various serious charges including robbery with a firearm, grand theft of a motor vehicle and others.