- Five men are accused of robbing a victim at gunpoint for a $30 vape pen in Winter Haven, Florida.
- The victim was approached by suspects while walking home from work at night.
- Police arrested the suspects after finding their pickup truck near a home where they initially fled from officers.
WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA — Weeks after a Florida student was killed by a wrong-way drunk driver minutes after a final text to her family, another Florida case is drawing attention. This time, five men are accused of robbing a man at gunpoint while he was walking home from work, only to leave with a vape pen worth about $30.
The robbery happened around 9:36 p.m. Sunday in Winter Haven.
Victim Was Walking Home From Work
Police said the victim was walking home after his shift near Avenue K SW and 6th Street SW when a silver Nissan Frontier pickup truck stopped beside him.
Investigators said five men jumped out of the truck and demanded everything in his pockets.
The victim told them he only had a cellphone and a vape pen.
Gun Allegedly Shown During Robbery
According to police, one of the suspects lifted his shirt and showed a gun tucked into his waistband.
The group allegedly searched the victim’s pockets and took his green vape pen.
Police said the suspects then demanded his cellphone, but the victim refused. He told them the phone had a tracker on it.
The men then got back into the truck and drove away.
Suspects Found at Nearby Home
Officers later found the pickup truck outside a home on 7th Street SW.
Police said several men matching the suspects’ descriptions were standing outside the truck. When they saw officers, they ran into the home and initially refused to come out.
Authorities surrounded the home and eventually detained the suspects after they exited.
Teen Passenger Spoke to Police
Investigators also interviewed a 17-year-old girl who had been riding in the truck.
Police said she told officers she had gone with her boyfriend and his friends to several stores before they stopped near a cemetery in the area.
She said she did not see what happened outside the truck but heard yelling. She later saw one of the men return with a green vape pen and say he had “got the vape.”
Five Men Charged
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, of Winter Haven
- Deshawn Antwon Lampkin, 19, of Winter Haven
All five were charged with robbery with a weapon and petit theft.
Taylor was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from Highlands County.
Two Teen Girls Also Charged
Police said two 17-year-old girls were also charged with resisting arrest without violence.
One allegedly gave officers a false birth date. The other allegedly refused to let officers enter the home after the suspects ran inside.
The case remains active as prosecutors move forward with the robbery and theft charges.
To view more cases involving armed robberies, Florida crime, and victims targeted while walking home, check out our video here:
