Tampa Police have arrested and charged three teenagers in connection with two early-morning attacks on July 13 that left a homeless man critically injured.
The incident began around 2:30 a.m. on the 800 block of East MLK Boulevard. Police said three men approached a man in his mid-40s and a woman in her mid-30s who were relaxing in the vicinity. The suspects began yelling at the pair and hurling pebbles, hitting the woman in the back of the head. She was not seriously injured, and the incident was not immediately reported to law enforcement.
Officers on patrol discovered a man in his mid-60s lying unresponsive behind a closed store in the 3900 block of North Nebraska Avenue at 7:45 a.m. that day. The location is less than a quarter mile from where the first incident occurred. The victim sustained catastrophic brain damage and was transferred to a local hospital, where he is now on a ventilator and in critical condition.
Detectives connected the two scenes after speaking with the victims of the 2:30 a.m. assault, who provided accounts that helped establish a timeline and descriptions of the suspects. An officer then identified the suspects using department-wide alerts as 13-year-old Samari Bryant, 14-year-old Corliss Sirmons, and 16-year-old Javonnie Council.
The three teenagers, along with an unnamed 16-year-old female, had already been arrested on July 13 for unrelated car burglaries on Emma Street. During the arrest, officers discovered clothing and physical evidence linking the individuals to both violent incidents. Police said preliminary evidence suggests the group plotted the attacks to target homeless people out of boredom.
Bryant and Council were officially charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon evidencing prejudice, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon on July 16th. During his original incarceration, Bryant was also charged with battery and exposure of sexual organs in response to an unrelated complaint made by a lady in a nearby park.
Sirmons, who was already being held at the Hillsborough Juvenile Detention Center on separate charges, was charged on July 21 with attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudicial intent.
All three suspects, as well as a 16-year-old female who was not involved in the assaults, are charged with six counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance in connection with the Emma Street vehicle break-in.
“The fact that boredom is cited as a reason for criminal activity at any level, let alone attempted murder, is highly concerning, and those responsible will be held fully accountable,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “While many teens in our city actively participate in constructive, city and department-sponsored programs, there is simply no excuse for the senseless behavior demonstrated by this group.”
Anyone with information regarding these cases is asked to call the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130 or send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS.
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