Four teens arrested in sneaker robbery

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- It was supposed to be a simple exchange of tennis shoes, but four teenagers had no intention of swapping anything. Instead, police say guns were drawn and the victim was robbed of his shoes and money.  Friday morning, the four suspects traded their trendy tennis shoes for jail issued flip flops.

It all began Thursday night, when the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a robbery in Lehigh Acres.  The victim tells detectives he had a pre-arranged meeting to sell sneakers.  He says a van, with four occupants, pulled into his driveway.  As the victim approached the vehicle, he noticed the van’s front bumper was torn off.

The deal was for the victim to trade his pair of Nike Foamposite shoes and $80 cash for two pairs of Air Jordan shoes.  As the victim handed over his shoes, two suspects in the van displayed guns and pointed them at the victim, demanding he also hand over his cash and cell phone.

As the victim supplied information, Robbery detectives recalled a recent crime with the same suspect and vehicle descriptions.  Further investigation led them to check out a residence at 812 Monroe Avenue in Lehigh Acres.  Upon arrival, detectives immediately noticed a van in the driveway with a missing front bumper.  The engine was still warm, indicating it had recently been driven. Detectives also located a pair of Foamposite shoes in plain view.

The victim was able to positively identify all four suspects and the role each played in the robbery.  Based on that, and information given by independent witnesses, detectives arrested the four suspects.