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Two Teens Robbed At Gunpoint In Coral Springs Shopping Center

CORAL SPRINGS (CBS4) - Coral Springs Police are looking for a man who threatened two teens with a gun at a popular mall and demanded their cash.

The teen victims recounted their frightening tale Tuesday evening. Their families asked that we not reveal their identities.

The teens said they were shopping for Easter shoes and clothes at Coral Square Mall on April 22. The boys said they noticed a man inside a Foot Locker store but didn't pay much attention to him. A short time later, they saw him again in Macy's.

"He came behind us and he said, 'Hey jitterbugs. I need that money,'" one of the teens said.

The boys were stunned. Then, the man revealed what he had hidden.

"He lift up his shirt and the gun was right there (in his waistband)," the teen, 14, said.

The boys gave him their money -- several hundred bucks. Then, they said, the man ordered them to return a pair of pricey sneakers they had bought. The boys said they never thought about disobeying.

"I thought he was gonna shoot us if we didn't listen to him," the teen said.

The teens returned the shoes and the man took that money also. Next, the teens said the man told them to walk out of the mall and follow him to a nearby apartment complex. One of the teens said he made a choice to get away.

"I whispered to (my friend) and said, 'Let's run,'" the teen said.

The boys ran in separate directions and fled to safety.

Now, they hope someone recognizes the man who robbed them. The man is described as a black male with brown skin, 25-35 years of age, 6'1"-6'3", short hair, gold teeth, thin build with multiple tattoos on his forearms.

One of the tattoos located on the inside of one of the suspect's forearms is possibly a picture of an AK-47 assault rifle.  The suspect may have ties to the Pompano Beach area. He is seen on surveillance camera at the mall walking with the teens.

Police Lt. Joe McHugh said the boys handled the situation properly.

"Anytime somebody's displayed a gun you don't know what his mindset is," McHugh said. "They could have been hurt. These kids actually were strong and they complied with what the suspect said to do and when they saw the opportunity to actually run, they ran."

The boys said the man who robbed them was a "coward." They hope he is caught before he strikes again.

He's "a bad man," one of the teens said. "A man who got a lot of guts to rob a kid with a gun."

If you have any information that can assist police in solving this crime, call Crimestoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

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