TAMPA, FL — Three teens were charged in connection with two violent incidents on July 13 that left two people injured, including a homeless man who remains in critical condition, Tampa police said in a news release.
The teens planned to harass and assault homeless people because they were “bored,” investigators found.
The assaults happened a few hours apart and less than a quarter-mile from each other in Tampa.
The first attack happened at about 2:30 a.m. in the 800 block of E. MLK Blvd.
A man in his mid-40s and a woman in her mid-30s were resting in the area when the three teens approached them, verbally antagonized them and started throwing rocks, police said. The woman was hit in the back of the head and the suspects fled.
She wasn’t seriously injured and didn’t immediately report the attack.
Hours later, at about 7:45 a.m., officers on proactive patrol found a man in his mid-60s severely injured and unresponsive behind a closed business in the 3900 block of N. Nebraska Ave., police said.
He was taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, and remains on a medically necessary ventilator as medical professionals monitor his condition.
As detectives investigated that case, they connected with the victims from the earlier assault. Those accounts and statements helped police establish a timeline and gather initial suspect descriptions.
Information and images of the suspects were shared department-wide, and an officer tentatively identified the people involved as a 13-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy.
Though Tampa police named the teens, it’s Patch policy not to name minors accused of a crime unless they’ve been charged as an adult. It’s not known whether they were charged as a juvenile or an adult.
The three suspects, along with a 16-year-old girl, had already been taken into custody after an unrelated call for multiple auto burglaries along Emma Street.
Officers recovered clothing and other evidence at that time that later linked the teens to both assault investigations.
Preliminary findings showed the group had planned to attack homeless people for entertainment because they were "bored,” police said.
The 13-year-old and 16-year-old suspects were arrested on July 16 and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon evidencing prejudice and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The older teen also faces unrelated battery and exposure of sexual organs charges from a separate incident reported by a woman at a nearby park as he was being detained, police said.
On Tuesday, the 14-year-old suspect, who was already being held at the Hillsborough Juvenile Detention Center on unrelated charges, was charged with attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon evidencing prejudice, police said.
"The fact that boredom is cited as a reason for criminal activity at any level, let alone attempted murder, is highly concerning, and those responsible will be held fully accountable," Chief Lee Bercaw said.
Anyone with information can contact Tampa Police at 813-231-6130 or Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS.
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