Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Three teens arrested in shooting death of man in Walmart parking lot
Coconut Creek police say they have nabbed three teens responsible for the shooting death of a man in a Walmart parking lot — the first and only homicide to occur in the city this year.
Last month, when Michael Griffin did not return from a late-night run to pick up medication for a friend, that concerned friend called police.
By 3 a.m. the 56-year-old’s body was found next to the red Chevrolet Camaro he had parked on the south side of the 24-hour store on Hillsboro Boulevard, police said.
Griffin had gone to the 24-hour store at about 1:20 a.m. on Oct. 12, his friend reported.
Police say 17-year-old Jason Prendergast, of Port St. Lucie, shot Griffin during an attempted robbery and then took off in a Chevy Avalanche.
“The Avalanche was seen fleeing the parking lot on Walmart surveillance video,” police said Wednesday evening in a statement announcing the arrests.
Driving the vehicle was Jermaine Atterbury, 18, of Greenacres, police said. Aside from Prendergast, Dominic Soto, 16, of Lake Worth, was also a passenger, according to police.
Atterbury, Prendergast and Soto are each facing a murder charge, police said Wednesday evening.
“Although violent crimes of this nature are certainly uncommon in Coconut Creek, we are extremely proud of the hard work and ultimate results of our criminal investigation team,” said police Chief Albert “Butch” Arenal. “They worked day and night for weeks on end, never doubting that they would solve this case.”
Solving the crime was an extensive effort between Coconut Creek detectives, state, local and federal authorities, he said.
Details about the apprehension of the three were not immediately available.
By Thursday afternoon, Atterbury had been booked into jail in Broward County on a charge of premeditated murder.
Prendergast, according to Port St. Lucie police, was the subject of a missing person report filed by a family member on Sept. 19. Updated information from police indicated that he was located about 5:15 a.m. Wednesday near the same Port St. Lucie address where he was reported missing, according to TCPalm.com.
It’s not clear if all three suspects were taken into custody together or separately.