Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - teenage robbery suspects at large

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

From TampaBay website, be on the lookout in Tarpon Springs...

TARPON SPRINGS — Police are looking for two teenagers they suspect may be responsible for two robberies Wednesday night and Thursday morning, including one in which a man was beaten, authorities said.

They're also looking for a third teen who was involved in the first robbery, but not the second.

According to Tarpon Springs police, here's what happened:

The first incident happened around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday when the three, all boys described as being in their early to mid teens, approached a 57-year-old man at the intersection of Dodecanese and Roosevelt boulevards at the Sponge Docks and asked for a dollar.

The man refused and the three walked away.

Moments later, the three returned and one of the teens pointed a handgun at him and demanded his money.

The man again refused, at which point one of the other teens took the gun, pointed it at him again and began beating him, along with the teenager who originally brandished the weapon, Tarpon Springs police said.

The two teens then stole the man's wallet, police said.

The third teen did not participate in the beating, police said.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for a cut to his head that required stitches, then released, according to a Tarpon Springs police spokesman.

The three teens then rode away on bicycles, heading south on Roosevelt.

Police said they believe two of the trio — the ones involved in the beating — showed up at an apartment on Harrison Street about 5:15 a.m.

A resident, 53, was awake and making peach cobbler with her front door propped open when the two teens, both armed with handguns, went into her apartment. Her two grandchildren, a high school student and a preschooler, were asleep in the apartment.

One teen held her at gunpoint while the other went upstairs, police said.

The teens stole some items from her residence, but police declined to disclose specifically what was stolen, citing an ongoing investigation.

The two then fled.

Both teens were wearing black, long-sleeve shirts and masks that covered their faces entirely except for their eyes. The taller of the two was wearing black long pants. The smaller of the two had on checkered shorts.

Young said police hoped the public could help identify the boys, all are described as black, so they could be located soon.

"Any time you have acts of this nature involving guns, and especially guns in hands of young offenders, those are crimes we definitely look at as more serious crimes and hopefully we're able to make a quick resolution," the spokesman said.

Have you or someone you love been arrested for a violent crime, drug crime or a criminal offense? Then call the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys today for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.