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Search For Man Who Robbed Teens In Coral Square Mall

CORAL SPRINGS (CBS4) - Coral Springs Police are hoping someone recognizes a man with some very distinctive tattoos who robbed a pair of teens inside a popular Coral Springs mall.

The teens said they had gone to the Coral Square Mall on April 22nd to buy clothes and shoes for Easter when they noticed a man inside a Foot Locker store but didn't pay much attention to him. When they went to Macy's a short time later, they said there he was again.

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

As the boys stared at him in stunned silence, the man then showed them what he had hidden.

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

The boys said after they gave him all their money, about several hundred bucks, he then 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.

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."

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

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