Missing 11-year-old boy ran from home after being robbed at gunpoint, Florida cops say

The search for a missing Florida boy unexpectedly turned into a criminal investigation, when deputies learned the 11-year-old ran away from home after being robbed at gunpoint, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened Friday, Jan. 20, in the Vero Beach area, and the suspect is a teenager already on probation, the sheriff’s office said in a Jan. 24 news release. Vero Beach is about 105 miles southeast of Orlando.

“After an immediate search, the boy was found not far from his home,” the sheriff’s office said.

“During the investigation, it was discovered the boy had run away because he was in fear for his life after being threatened and robbed. ... The boy was outside in front of his apartment when he was confronted.”

The 18-year-old suspect is accused of lifting his shirt to expose a handgun, and ordering the fearful boy to go into his family’s home and retrieve a gun, investigators said.

The boy did as instructed, gave the gun to the man, “then ran away” from home, officials said.

Detectives quickly determined their chief suspect was a teenager on probation who is wearing an ankle monitor due to “an extensive juvenile criminal history.”

GPS coordinates provided by the ankle monitor led deputies to a nearby apartment community, where the suspect was arrested and charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with deadly a weapon, officials said.

Another 18-year-old was arrested with the suspect, and he was charged with carrying a concealed fire arm and resisting arrest without violence, officials said.

Three handguns were recovered, two of which were stolen, officials said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Missing 11-year-old boy ran from home after being robbed at gunpoint, Florida cops say."