Two black males, ages 16 and 17, were apprehended early Sunday evening, March 1, in Gulfport after robbing a south St. Petersburg man at gunpoint earlier in the day.
The call came in to the Gulfport Police Department at 3:03 p.m. Soon after, Officer Marshall of Gulfport’s Charlie Squad, witnessed two individuals crash their car into the fence at Boca Ciega High School. The individuals then fled the car, which turned out to be stolen, and ran from the crash site. St. Petersburg Police Department’s K9 unit was called in to track the men, as well as the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s helicopter.
By 6:08 p.m. both suspects were in custody, according to Gulfport’s Sergeant Woodman. One was caught hiding in a shed, on the 5600 block of Newton Avenue South, in Gulfport, and the other on the 5700 block in St. Petersburg. Officers Marshall and Petit, also of Gulfport’s Charlie Squad, assisted in the apprehensions.
According to St. Petersburg police, during the initial robbery in St. Petersburg, the suspects used a single handgun to take just a cell phone from the victim.
Both suspects are being charged with armed robbery by the St. Petersburg police, and burglary by the Gulfport police – a charge that stems from the suspects hiding out on private property throughout their attempt to escape police.
