NewsLocal News

Actions

Teen charged as adult for string of armed robberies in Tallahassee

Christopher Clark, 15, remains in jail on no bond
Posted at 12:22 PM, Mar 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-20 12:22:13-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A 15-year-old Tallahassee boy will be charged as an adult for a crime spree near the Capitol last month.

The state attorney's office ordered that Christopher Clark, 15, be transferred into the Leon County Detention Facility on multiple counts of armed robbery and grand theft. He will face criminal prosecution as an adult.

According to court documents, the first robbery happened on Feb. 23 around 11:45 p.m. A victim told investigators that he was walking on College Avenue when three males approached him from the underground parking garage. One of the suspects demanded the victim's items, but the victim refused and continued walking.

That's when investigators say that's when one suspect took the victim's cellphone while Clark pointed a gun at the victim, again demanding his "stuff."

Documents say the next robbery occurred approximately two hours later in the 400 block of West Park Avenue.

A victim told police that he was in the area looking for his friend when he noticed a small red car parking with the engine running in the visitors parking lot. The victim then spotted "black males obviously in a hurry" coming up behind him from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The victim said he kept walking, but noticed the males were going toward the red vehicle. Again, the victim tried to contact his friend and began to leave. As he turned around however, two males were in front of him.

Documents say the victim recognized them as two of the men he had just seen walking through the parking lot. The victim said that the "taller black male," who was later identified as Clark, had "snuck up" on his left side and pulled out a gun, hitting the victim and holding the gun to his head.

As this was happening, the victim told investigators that the suspects began demanding his wallet and iPhone, which the victim handed over.

According to court documents, Clark and one of the other juvenile suspects were spotted in a stolen red Toyota Prius within minutes of the robbery. Officers noticed three younger males that matched the description of the robbery suspects and attempted to stop the vehicle.

Instead of stopping the suspects drove away, leading officers on a chase through the Capitol. Eventually, documents say the car crashed near the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Brevard Street. All three suspects then hopped out of the car and ran.

Two of the three suspects, a 16-year-old and Clark, were apprehended after a chase on foot. When they searched them, a gun was found in the 16-year-old's pocket, along with three cellphones. Two cellphones were found in Clark's possession.

Through an investigation, documents say officers determined that the red Prius was stolen from a driveway on Lee Avenue between Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. Based on that information, investigators believed that the vehicle was stolen shortly before the robbery spree occurred.

Clark was later determined to have been driving the vehicle during the crime spree, so he was subsequently charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle.

In total, investigators say six armed robberies occurred between the night of Feb. 23 and the early morning hours of Feb. 24. Clark has only been charged for two of the six armed robberies. He is also facing two charges of grand theft.

Documents note that Clark was already on probation and was committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice in a minimum risk program when the office occurred. when the crimes occurred. He also has a juvenile history that includes charges of burglary, throwing a deadly missile, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, loitering/prowling, and disruption of a school function.

Clark is being held in jail on no bond.

WTXL is choosing not to identify the 16-year-old suspect because adult charges have not been filed against him.