A teen is facing a felony charge after he confessed to trying to rob a Spring Hill store because his video game console was not working.
Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Manager Denise Moloney said that just after 6:30 pm on March 24, deputies were sent to the Deltona Food Mart, 4132 Deltona Blvd. in Spring Hill in response to a call reporting an armed robbery.
At the scene, they met with a store clerk who told them that a young man, later identified as 16-year-old Takoda Atkins, entered the store, waited for other customers to leave, then lifted his shirt to display what the clerk described as a “black semi-automatic handgun,” and demanded cash from the store’s register. After telling Atkins to leave the store, the clerk called 911. Nothing was taken from the store.
According to Moloney, Atkins fled on foot, heading east on Bay Drive. Deputy Greg Locke and K-9 Argo arrived on the scene in an attempt to locate the suspect.
K-9 Argo tracked Atkins to a residence at 3548 Plaza Ave., where, based on the clerk’s description, they took him into custody.
Inside the residence, deputies also found a black replica airsoft pistol in a trash can. An airsoft pistol is a replica toy gun used to shoot non-metallic projectiles at others taking part in so-called survivor games.
During an interview, Atkins admitted to entering the store, waiting for other customers to leave, and demanding money from the clerk.
He told deputies that he never intended to take the money and entered the store because he became “bored” when his Playstation 4 (PS4) gaming console “wasn’t working.”
Atkins was arrested and charged with attempted armed commercial robbery, a felony.
He was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center and later transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) in Ocala.
