ORLANDO, Fla. – A man in Orange County told deputies he was on his way home Sunday when he was followed and then beaten right in front of his driveway.
Now, a half dozen teens, many of whom live in gated communities, face robbery and grand theft charges.
News 6 talked to the victim today, who looked nervous and said he is still in a lot of pain. His left eye is swollen, and he also has bruises on his face and neck.
Deputies say 18-year-old Celine Dureka, 19-year-old Amar Alkhatib, Maria Schmidt, Michael Cucuta, a woman named Raia, whose last name is not currently known, and a sixth person whose name deputies have not released are responsible.
Deputies said they followed a man to his home on Herricks Loop near Orlando, where they say the men beat up the victim as the women watched.
Deputies said the victim was first approached by Alkhatib, who walked up to the driver's side window and started punching the victim in the face. Court papers show Cuenta then went to the passenger side of the car to hold the victim down while Alkhatib continued punching him, as the unnamed person went to the back of the car and broke the back window using a crowbar.
Court papers show Schmidt tried grabbing the keys to the victim's car from the ignition, breaking the keys.
The victim was then knocked out cold.
Today, News 6 went to the homes and arrest locations of the suspects, wanting to know why they allegedly robbed and beat the victim, but many of them were gated, including an apartment complex in Metrowest and another community in Millennia.
Deputies later found the suspects had several items stolen from the victim, including a pair of sneakers worth nearly $400, a gold medallion priced at about $2,000 and an 18 karat gold chain valued at $6,000.
Deputies discovered some of the suspects posted photos of themselves wearing the items on their Instagram pages.
The victim told deputies he knew the suspects from Olympia High School and Dr. Phillips High School.