Five Florida men are facing felony robbery allegations after police said they confronted a man on his way home from work and stole a vape pen valued at roughly $30.
The incident took place at about 9:36 p.m. Sunday in Winter Haven, according to the Winter Haven Police Department.
Investigators said the victim was walking home after finishing his shift when a pickup truck stopped near him and five men got out, ordering him to hand over what he had in his pockets.
The man told the group he was carrying only his cellphone and a vape pen, police said.
At that point, one suspect allegedly raised his shirt to show a gun in his waistband while demanding the items.
Damarius Jamel Taylor is facing robbery and theft charges after investigators connected him to a group accused of robbing a man as he walked home from work in Winter Haven, Florida, police said. (Winter Haven Public Safety Department)
Police said the men went through the victim’s pockets and took the vape pen. They also demanded his cellphone, but the victim refused, warning them that the device could be tracked.
The group then returned to the pickup truck and drove off, according to police.
Officers later located the pickup outside a residence, where they spotted several men matching the suspects’ descriptions, according to police.
Javon Prince Jackson-Roby was charged with robbery with a weapon after police said he and four other men stole a vape pen worth about $30 from a man walking home from work in Winter Haven, Florida. (Winter Haven Public Safety Department)
When the men saw officers, they ran into the residence and initially refused to come out, police said. Authorities eventually detained the suspects after they exited the home.
Tayshawn Williams was taken into custody after Winter Haven police identified five suspects accused of confronting a man on his walk home from work and stealing his vape pen. (Winter Haven Public Safety Department)
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Investigators also interviewed a 17-year-old girl who was riding in the truck during the incident. According to police, she said she had accompanied her boyfriend and his friends to several stores before they stopped near a cemetery in the area.
The teen told investigators she did not witness what happened outside the truck but heard yelling.
She later saw one of the men return to the vehicle holding a green vape pen and say he had “got the vape,” according to police.
Deshawn Antwon Lampkin was among five suspects arrested after investigators said a group confronted a man walking home from work and took his vape pen during an armed robbery in Winter Haven, Florida. (Winter Haven Public Safety Department)
Authorities arrested Damarius Jamel Taylor, 18, of Avon Park; Tayshawn Williams, 18, of Auburndale; Javon Prince Jackson-Roby, 19, of Avon Park; Martice Spears Jr., 19; and Deshawn Antwon Lampkin, 19.
All five men were charged with robbery with a weapon and petit theft, police said.
Taylor was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from Highlands County.
Martice Spears Jr. was among five men charged after a Winter Haven robbery in which police said a victim was threatened with a gun and robbed of a vape pen. (Winter Haven Public Safety Department)
Two 17-year-old girls were also charged with resisting arrest without violence in connection with the investigation, according to police.
One allegedly provided officers with a false birth date, while the other allegedly refused to allow officers into the residence after the suspects ran inside.
News Agency reached out to the Winter Haven Police Department for further comment.
