Woman beaten for ‘approximately an hour’ by man she met on Hinge, Georgia cops say
A Georgia woman is recovering after she says she was beaten by a man she met on the popular dating app Hinge.
Brittany Correri was enjoying her first date with a “super nice guy” man named Ben, but said things took a violent turn when he began attacking her as they rode in his car after a night out in Buckhead last week.
“He started beating me in my head, punching me everywhere - my forehead, my temples, my cheeks, jaws, throat, arms, my back,” Correri told WXIA-TV. “He was just telling me that the date cost too much — that I’m not worth that.”
She said the two had met on the dating app earlier that same day.
“I just believe he was dead set on killing me,” Correri added, according to the news station.
Atlanta police have identified the suspect as Benjamin Fancher, who’s wanted on charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment in the Nov. 12 incident. Authorities confirmed he was captured in Kent, New York on Tuesday.
According to a police report obtained by McClatchy News, the two had just left Hide Lounge in Buckhead when Correri said Fancher “became outraged” before pulling over around 6:30 a.m. and dragging her from the car by her hair. A nearby security guard, Fantasia Atkinson, stepped in after hearing the woman’s screams, police said.
Atkinson shouted at Fancher to stop, after which he hopped into his white BMW and fled, according to police.
Authorities said the attack went on for “approximately an hour” as Fancher repeatedly beat and punched his date, refusing to let her out of the vehicle. Correri also alleges Fancher called her the N-word and threatened to shoot her, according to WSB-TV.
“My biggest regret is getting in his car,” she told the news station. “I’ve never been beaten so badly.”
Correri and Atkinson had urged the public to help find Fancher.
Addressing the incident, Hinge said it was “outraged” by the incident and immediately removed Fancher from its platform.
“The violence (Brittany) described is horrible and is something no one should ever have to experience,” the company said in a statement to McClatchy. “We take any incident of assault seriously, and we ban anyone accused of violent behavior from our platform. As in all cases, we stand ready to work with law enforcement to help ensure that justice is served.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Woman beaten for ‘approximately an hour’ by man she met on Hinge, Georgia cops say."