NAPLES, Fla. — Two teenagers are facing charges of assaulting a 15-year-old girl and robbing her at gunpoint at a Naples shopping mall, according to police.
Watch as Fox 4's Anvar Ruziev takes you to the park where, police say, the suspects tried to escape.
The incident happened on June 21 at the Coastland Center Mall, according to Naples police, who say the suspects displayed a firearm and violently threw the victim to the ground twice before stealing her shoes and damaging her property.
Joandry Silverio Perez, 16, and Ayden Thonday, 15, both from unincorporated Collier County, were arrested after fleeing to a nearby park where witnesses reported seeing them with firearms.
The confrontation began when the suspects approached the victim asking about an acquaintance they previously had altercations with, according to police. They later returned and demanded her necklace, police said. The department believes that when the victim refused to surrender her jewelry, one suspect displayed a firearm tucked in his waistband. After a second refusal, Perez allegedly grabbed the victim by her necklace and threw her to the ground.
Naples officers said the suspects briefly walked away before returning to assault the victim again. They claim Perez lifted her into the air and threw her down a second time, after which both suspects kicked and struck her while she was on the ground.
During their escape toward Fleischmann Park, a witness reported that the teens pointed firearms at her vehicle. Naples Police Officers and Collier County Sheriff's Deputies apprehended both suspects before they could pose further threat.
A concerned parent at Fleischmann Park told Fox 4 News the incident is making families feel unsafe.
“Now you feel more afraid to go to the parks and be with your kids,” she said. “What about if those guns were real? My kids wouldn’t be safe. So I’m not even safe either in the streets or in the park trying to recreate my kids to enjoy the day.”
She also emphasized the importance of staying involved in your child’s life, especially as they get older.
“Just because they're 16 or 15, the parents need to be more aware of where their kids are at… Even though they are older, my daughter is 22 and she still texts me and lets me know where she is.”
This incident comes amid what authorities describe as an increase in violent incidents involving juveniles in Naples, including a shooting near Seagate Beach and several physical altercations throughout the city.
The Naples Police Department is reminding parents they can be held legally responsible for their children's actions under Florida law, both civilly and sometimes criminally, particularly regarding supervision to prevent delinquency and liability for damages caused by their children.
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