UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas – A 17-year-old girl was arrested on Wednesday by the Universal City Police Department and accused of luring multiple young men online, which resulted in at least two robberies, partnered with a man who holds an extensive criminal history.
Alyssa Victoria Canul is tied to a robbery where a 15-year-old boy was shot four times at a Universal City park by her boyfriend, Joseph Anthony Aguilar, 18, on Monday, the city said through a social media post.
Canul’s role was to “lure young men on online dating sites, then robbing and assaulting them,” the city said.
She was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Thursday and charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, jail records show. Canul could face an additional charge of tampering with physical evidence, according to the city.
Canul’s arrest stemmed from a multi-agency SWAT operation that took Aguilar into custody, accusing him of at least two robberies, Universal City police said.
Aguilar faces two aggravated robbery charges, Bexar County jail records show.
Aguilar robbed two victims by taking clothes, a gold chain, a grill, keys to a vehicle and some money, at Red Horse Park — adjacent to Pat Booker Road — during two separate occasions on Monday, the arrest affidavit stated.
In one of the cases, Aguilar stated he was a “gang member” before he pistol-whipped and demanded all of the male victim’s money at the park around 3 a.m., according to the affidavit. The male victim was lured using an online platform to meet Canul in person at a park bench.
The second robbery case described a 15-year-old boy, who used rideshare to travel to the Universal City park around 5:45 a.m., talking to Canul at the same bench.
The affidavit said Canul lured the boy from the park into Aguilar’s room at the Villa Mesa apartments, roughly half of a mile away, and started to count all of the cash he had on him out loud.
Aguilar, hiding in nearby bushes, made a “loud noise” and revealed himself to the boy as he loaded his weapon, records show. The 15-year-old boy attempted to run away, but was shot four times and eventually robbed.
In a recorded phone call between Canul and Aguilar obtained by police, Canul said she disposed of the weapon used during the robberies, the affidavit read.
The wounded teen made his way to a nearby coffee shop, On The Grind, where bystanders found him and called 911, police said. He was later taken to a hospital and is continuing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities stated.
Advocacy groups focused on online safety are urging parents and guardians to talk with their children about the dangers of online lures and to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.
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