4 Teens Beat 67-Year-Old Man: Sarasota Police

SARASOTA, FL — Four teenagers were arrested for beating a 67-year-old Sarasota man in the early morning hours of Oct. 13, according to a Sarasota Police Department news release.

Adrian Zambrana, 18, and three juvenile suspects, all of Sarasota, were charged with aggravated battery of a person 65 years of age or older.

While police named three juvenile suspects, it’s Patch policy to not name minors who have been charged with a crime. It’s not known whether they were charged as a juvenile or an adult.

Officers responded to a report of a battery incident near the 200 block of South Orange Avenue just after 2 a.m.

The victim told them he was “attacked by four young men, who allegedly struck him with their fists and a tree branch. One of the suspects also reportedly threw a rock at the victim, causing visible head injuries,” police said.

The victim described the suspects as four young white males who drove away from the scene in a white four-door car or gray SUV. Officers immediately canvassed the area and found a vehicle matching the description.

During a traffic stop, officers identified the four suspects, including Zambrana, who initially gave them the name “Mitch Houndoras.” At the time of the stop, there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest, police said.

Detectives from the Sarasota Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division took over the case. Video evidence and additional interviews with the victim confirmed the details of the incident.

Surveillance footage from Oct. 13 showed four individuals, one appearing to carry a large tree branch, approaching the victim and attacking him on South Orange Avenue, police said.

The individuals in the surveillance footage were identified as the same four individuals from the early morning traffic stop.

Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to call the non-emergency line at 941-316-1199 or report anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 941-366-TIPS or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.