The Suffolk County Police Department has had its hands full on the youth front of late. Their latest violent crime arrests came early in the evening on Thursday, October 9th.
According to police, they arrested four teenagers in direct connection with the gunpoint robbery of another teen in the parking lot of a Middle Island apartment complex.
Reportedly, an 18-year-old male was in the midst of brokering a luxury clothing sale over social media when he was approached by two armed suspects and two accomplices—two 18-year-olds and two juveniles—on the night in question.
The suspects reportedly forced the teen at gunpoint to hand over the high-end clothing stored in his car’s open trunk. After seizing the goods, the group fled the scene on foot.
This confrontation took place at 5:05 p.m. in the Fairview Circle parking lot of the Artist Lake Fairview apartments.
With special assistance from their invaluable K-9 unit, Suffolk County police officers were able to track the group to a nearby home at 353 Artist Lake Drive in Middle Island.
The quartet was subsequently arrested at 6:35 p.m. They are: Isaac Brutus, 18, of Lindenhurst; Aubre Vandunk, 18, of Oceanside; an unnamed 16-year-old; and an unnamed 17-year-old.
Their official charges include first-degree robbery, first-degree criminal use of a firearm, and multiple weapons possession charges.
The two 18-year-olds were arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip, while the minors appeared in the court’s youth division later that same day, Friday, October 10th.
The incident highlights a troubling trend of violent crime among Long Island teenagers, leaving communities and law enforcement across both counties on edge. As authorities continue to investigate, many are left asking: What’s driving youth to such dangerous extremes?
One thing is clear—the kids, indeed, are not alright.