3 men arrested after robbing 2 UM students at gunpoint
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have arrested three men accused of robbing students at gunpoint at the University of Miami campus.
Police said a tip from students lead them to the suspects, who police identified as Felipe Bugueno, Andre Jones and Michael Wasson, all 17 years old, late Tuesday night. Wednesday afternoon, all three were charged with robbery with a weapon and grand theft.
A pair of quick thinking and quick acting students happened to hear the three suspects bragging about what they just stole at a CVS Pharmacy across the street from the UM campus. "They walked in with a green backpack, and I had this really weird feeling," said one if the students, who preferred not to be identified. "He said, 'Let me see what you got, so he opened up the backpack, pulled out an iPod. It was just a real sketchy situation."
The campus newspaper reported the two victims were sophomores and were returning to campus from a Miami Heat game when they encountered the robbers. The father of one of the victims said his son was shaken after one of the men pointed a gun at the heads of his son and his son's friend.
The three men demanded all of their belongings and made off with money, IDs and credit cards, in addition to their iPods, said police. According to police reports, two University of Miami students were held at gunpoint at about 10:30 p.m., as they exited the University Metrorail station and headed to campus.
While police searched for the suspects, students on campus were placed on lockdown and no one was allowed to leave their dorm, as police secured the campus.
Later, across the street from the university, just outside the CVS, two suspects hid their faces after police cuffed them and placed in them in the back of squad cars. Coral Gables Police said they took the third person into custody off camera.
On Wednesday, all three suspects waived their right to appear before a juvenile court judge, but Wasson's parents, who are attorneys, along with his lawyer showed up. The judge released him in their custody to be placed under house arrest.
Meanwhile, Bugueno and Jones will remain behind bars, as no one stepped forward to claim them. Police said Bugueno wielded the gun, which he alternately pointed at the heads of the victims.
Speaking via phone from Maryland, the father of one of the victims said, "They need to spend time behind bars, and I hope that that happens."
(Copyright 2009 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
