ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County deputies are searching for the culprits who they say robbed two teens while they were walking to school on Tuesday morning.
Deputies said the robbery occurred on Denson Drive and North Powers Drive while the juveniles, a 13-year-old female and 15-year-old male, were walking to Meadowbrook Middle School.
A vehicle pulled alongside them with several occupants inside and two got out of the vehicle with a gun and a knife, stealing a cellphone and headsets, according to deputies. The culprits then drove off.
"He was pretty calm with it, just pulled it out real slow and pointed it at me, talking about 'I don't want to shoot you, just gimme my stuff, just give me your stuff,' " said the 15-year-old who was robbed.
The mother of the children told Local 6 that one of the robbers put the gun up against her son's stomach and even tried to take his backpack, but gave up when he noticed the strap was broken.
"I don't understand why grown people are riding around targeting kids for cell phones and their little money anyway," said Terri Johnson, the teenagers' mother. "Doesn't make sense."
The principal at Meadowbrook Middle School sent a recorded message to parents through the Connect Orange system:
"This morning, two students were robbed of a cellphone and headset. The suspects drove up in a vehicle and threatened the students with a weapon... I would like to take this opportunity to ask parents to discuss safety with their children while walking to and from school. Please remind students to walk in groups, be aware of their surroundings, do not display cellphones."
Deputies said they found the green Jeep Cherokee in which the robbers had been riding abandoned nearby and that it had been stolen.
"This has to stop," said Johnson. "And we have to learn to speak out. We can't keep silent when things like this happen, we have to be able to talk and not be afraid to talk to the officers and the news because we have to get it out there to protect our kids and also ourselves."
Deputies said this is an ongoing active investigation.
Check back for more on this developing story.