By Stevie Smith Feb 6, 2008, 7:25 GMT
Two teenagers have been arrested in Miami-Dade, Florida this week after 17-year-old James Felton-Maitland was killed following an attack to deprive him of his PlayStation Portable videogame console.
Teenagers charged after boy loses life following PSP attack. Credit: ehecatzin.
According to the official arrest report submitted by Florida detective Elvey Melagarejo, Felton-Maitland was walking home from the library during the Christmas break when 19-year-old Jamila “Jam” Brown and 17-year-old Keith Lebrone Goa knocked him to the ground and began beating him while attempting to steal the PSP.
Despite the physical attack, Felton-Maitland did not relinquish his grasp of the portable console and managed to scramble back to his feet and flee, at which point his attackers gave chase.
Tragically, as Felton-Maitland sought to lose his pursuers, he was struck by a heavy goods vehicle while attempting to cross a street. He died on January 05 at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood after sustaining severe head injuries during the incident.
Although initial reaction to Felton-Maitland’s death was that he lost his life in a road traffic accident, Brown and Goa were eventually implicated when the emergence of a witness to the initial attack outside the library led to family members hiring a private investigator.
Both of Felton-Maitland’s attackers are now facing charges of second-degree felony murder and strong-arm robbery. Prior to their arrests, Brown was wanted for probation violation while Goa had already racked up numerous criminal charges including battery and burglary.
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