A West Palm Beach teenager who dreamed of becoming a barber walked into what he thought was a routine house-call haircut at Okeeheelee Park South and instead found himself surrounded by an armed group of as many as 13 people, according to investigators. Six people have now been arrested in the case after two more suspects were taken into custody, and detectives say more arrests could still follow.
The ambush unfolded shortly after midnight on May 31, according to WPBF, at Okeeheelee Park South near Forest Hill Boulevard. Investigators say the teenage aspiring barber was lured to the park through what looked like a legitimate haircut request, after the suspects allegedly used Instagram to arrange the meeting. Per WPEC, the group had planned the robbery for several days, according to a probable-cause affidavit cited in the outlet’s reporting.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators allegedly showed suspects arriving at the park before the victims did, handling firearms and then hiding in the woods, according to Palm Beach and Broward Mugshots. Investigators say the suspects emerged from the woods and attacked once the victims arrived, holding one victim at gunpoint while the teenage barber was tackled and beaten. The group then allegedly robbed the victims of an iPhone, glasses and more than $1,000 worth of barber equipment, per the same report.
Clippers, a Phone and a Speaker Taken in the Ambush
Per WPEC’s account of the case, the stolen barber equipment was valued at about $1,200. Previously arrested suspect Josue Jesus-Mejia told detectives that suspect Diaz struck the teen in the face with the butt of a gun and took the box containing the barber’s clippers. Jesus-Mejia also said two other suspects admitted to him that they had hit the victim, according to that statement…