Buster

Man Robbed At Gunpoint Of Starburst Candies, Cops Suspect Rampaging Teen Trio

A Florida man was robbed at gunpoint Saturday night by three men who stole his stash of Starburst candies before pistol-whipping him and making their escape, cops say.

According to the victim, he was walking on a Bradenton street around 8:40 PM when his assailants pulled up alongside him in a black sedan. The trio jumped out of the vehicle and flashed their weapons, according to a police report.

The victim said he was ordered to empty out his pockets, which contained 32 packages of Starburst. The police report does not indicate why the victim was carrying so much candy.

After swiping the Starburst, one of the robbers struck the man in the back of his head with a gun. The victim was subsequently transported by family members to a local hospital for treatment.

Law enforcement officials believe that the Starburst robbery was part of a weekend crime spree by three juveniles who were arrested early Sunday following a car chase that ended in a crash. The minors are suspects in a pair of carjackings, an attempted carjacking, two robberies, and the discharging of a weapon.

Following the auto crash, police found a semi-automatic handgun on the rear floorboard of the vehicle, which was taken at gunpoint Saturday from a woman who was sitting in the car waiting for family members, according to a police report.

One of the suspects, Jaquez Terion Eldridge, 16, has previously been arrested for the armed robbery of two fellow teenagers. Seen at left, Eldridge, who uses the Facebook handle “Quez A Savage,” is a student at Horizons Academy, a Bradenton high school.