JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A reported armed robbery at a Jacksonville apartment complex Monday night turned out to be a prank between two relatives, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office incident report.
Officers say they were dispatched around 10 p.m. to The Station apartments on Hendricks Ave. after witnesses reported seeing what appeared to be a man holding a gun to another man’s head near a U-Haul moving truck.
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What witnesses reported
According to the incident report, two witnesses traveling north on Naldo Street told officers they observed a larger U-Haul with two men standing beside it. They said a heavier-set man appeared to press what looked like a gun against the neck of a thinner man.
One witness told police he believed the object was a gun but acknowledged he could not make out any details — he only saw the gesture and a dark object in the heavier man’s hand.
The other witness told officers it was difficult to determine exactly what was in the man’s hand, but that it appeared as though a robbery may be taking place.
Officers conduct felony stop
While responding to the call, the reporting officer spotted a U-Haul matching the description with three occupants inside. Officers activated lights and sirens, conducted a felony traffic stop and detained all three individuals in separate marked patrol vehicles.
They were identified as a 22-year-old man, a 62-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy.
‘Just playing around’
The 22-year-old told officers that he, his younger brother and their football coach and pastor were at the complex to help the older man move into his new apartment.
He explained that it was a joke — something the two did all the time — and that he had pressed his body against his brother and held his phone to the back of the teen’s head as a prank, not a weapon.
The teen confirmed the account, telling officers that he and his older brother were just playing around and that it was no big deal.
The 62-year-old told officers that due to his age and physical condition, he had been working inside the apartment and did not witness the interaction between the two younger men.
Warrant discovered during check
Both the 22-year-old and the 62-year-old were released after officers determined no crime had occurred.
However, a check of JSO databases revealed the juvenile had an active local warrant unrelated to the incident. He was taken into custody in reference to a separate case.