FORT MYERS, Fla. — The three children accused in a Fort Myers armed robbery last week are back in custody on new charges Thursday night.
The Fort Myers Police Department confirmed with Fox 4 that the suspects, ages 12, 13 and 14, were booked into the Lee County Jail just before 6 p.m. on September 7.
This comes less than a week after the three were arrested on charges for an armed robbery that happened near the intersection of Palm Beach Blvd. and Pine St. on September 1.
FMPD said the trio stole cash and ran off. The gun used was stolen out of Collier County.
Neighbors in the area told Fox 4's Briana Brownleethey've seen the two younger boys in the area before.
“This is a pretty quiet area,” said one neighbor.
But that wasn't the case Friday when FMPD swarmed the area looking for the three young suspects.
“Police came by and asked if we saw two or three boys running through here masked up," the neighbor said.
"I was scared... I told my kids to come back in the house because it wasn’t safe," another neighbor said.
It took about an hour for officers to locate and arrest the suspects.
“The first thing that went through my mind was a lot of rage. There was a lot of feeling in my heart," said Fort Myers resident Isaiah Crawford after seeing the young faces attached to the crime. “One of the kids looked like he was about 10 years old and now he has a mug shot."
Following FMPD's release of the details of this crime and the three mugshots, many community members have debated online whether their mugshots should have been posted. Due to the severity of the crimes the three are accused and the new charges they face now, Fox 4 chose to include the mugshots in our reporting.
There have been several robberies along Palm Beach Blvd. recently. FMPD is working to see if there is any connection.
Fox 4 is working to learn more details on the latest arrest.
