Teen football players arrested after alleged $2K Dick's Sporting Goods theft
Eight teenagers on a Philadelphia youth football team were arrested and charged with felonies after they allegedly stole thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from a Dick's Sporting Goods in Florida -- only hours before their championship game.
The players on the United Thoroughbreds team, aged 14 to 15, had traveled to Polk County from Pennsylvania, where they stole items worth $2,296.07 from the store Saturday morning, according to police.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lambasted the boys online for their crimes.
"They picked the wrong state — and the wrong county," he posted on X.
In a press conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the eight juveniles Ubered to the store, where they allegedly stuffed 47 items into bags and their pants before leaving the store.
"I don't know if these were starters or not, but I can tell you that we were finishers. We arrested them," Judd said at the press conference. He unrolled an oversized receipt with all the stolen articles to emphasize the thefts.
Judd called the team the "Thoroughbred Thieves," and said they worked together in teams of two to steal, according to store footage.
All eight suspects declined to provide statements and had no prior criminal arrests on record, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Due to being detained, they were unable to play in their championship game later that day, where they lost to the Cocoa Tigers, 26-6, per police.
The suspects are facing charges of retail theft over $750 and conspiracy to commit retail theft, which are both felonies, per police. They will have to return to Florida from Pennsylvania to face the charges against them.
