POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested five Washington, D.C.-area teenagers and their basketball coach following a theft conspiracy investigation at a 7-Eleven store in Davenport, Florida.
The incident occurred around 4:10 a.m. on July 23, 2026, at the 7-Eleven located at 3141 Ronald Reagan Parkway. According to authorities, the teenagers concealed items including Doritos, gummies, Starburst Minis, a Big Mama sausage, lemonade, and grape and orange Slurpees. The stolen merchandise totaled $37.60. When a store clerk confronted the suspects, they fled the scene.
Deputies responded to the area and located three of the teenagers near the entrance to Solterra Resorts, where the team was staying at a vacation rental less than a mile from the store. Investigators stated the suspects had put the stolen items in a backpack and hidden it in nearby bushes.
The teenagers were in the area with “Run it Up,” a travel basketball team affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), to participate in the Puma NXTPro basketball tournament.
Investigators identified the five teenage suspects as 17-year-old Tavion Rashaud Hale of Washington, D.C.; 16-year-old Taureon Darnell Ferrell of Washington, D.C.; 16-year-old Obai Sankoh Sheriff of Lanham, Maryland; 16-year-old James Thomas Hall of Washington, D.C.; and 17-year-old Tyjuan Grover of Washington, D.C.
Each of the five teenagers faces charges of conspiracy to commit retail theft, tampering with evidence, petit theft, and violation of the county curfew ordinance for juveniles.
Detectives initially contacted the team’s coach, 27-year-old Malik Abdul Harvey of Bryans Road, Maryland, and asked him to identify the remaining two suspects using store security video. Later that morning, deputies located the final two teenagers, who identified Harvey as their coach. Police said Harvey subsequently admitted he lied about not knowing the two suspects in order to protect them.
Harvey was arrested and charged with child neglect, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, accessory after the fact, and resisting without violence. Harvey is employed by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, though officials noted the basketball trip was unrelated to his job duties.
“We welcome anyone who wants to visit or stay in Polk County on vacation. But people need to realize that while you might be able to get away with crimes and foolishness where you live, it won’t fly around here,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “If you steal in Polk County, we’re going to send you home with a commemorative mug shot from the Polk County Jail.”
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