D.C.-area youth basketball players, coach arrested for alleged theft from Florida 7-Eleven

BETHESDA, Md. - Five teen basketball players from the D.C. area along with their 27-year-old coach were arrested in Polk County, Florida, after an alleged convenience store theft while they were in town for a tournament.

What we know:

The alleged incident happened just after 4 a.m. Thursday at a 7-Eleven in Central Florida. According to the local sheriff, the teens, ages 16 and 17, are accused of stealing less than $40 worth of food and drinks, including Doritos, gummies, Starbursts, sausage, lemonade and Slurpees.

Investigators said the group fled the store after being confronted by an employee. Deputies later found three of the five involved teenagers and discovered the stolen food hidden in a backpack in the bushes.

Coach Facing Multiple Charges

Dig deeper:

While the team's coach, 27-year-old Malik Harvey, was not accused of participating in the theft, he was arrested following interactions with law enforcement.

In a video posted to social media—where the sheriff publicly shared surveillance footage of the crime to his more than 1 million followers—the sheriff stated that Harvey lied to investigators when asked to identify the remaining two suspects.

"We had three in custody, he denied knowing who the other two were," the sheriff said in the video release. "He resisted us when he did not cooperate with the investigation, when he directly lied, when he misled us. Of course, he knew who they were, but he lied to us... Oh, did I tell you he works for the dept. Juvenile Services in Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Maryland? That’s right, so he works in the criminal justice system, and he lied to us."

Harvey is facing charges of child neglect, resisting without violence, accessory after the fact, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The child neglect charge stems from allegations that Harvey arranged an Uber for the teenagers to an Airbnb where no adult was present prior to the theft.

FOX 5 DC reached out to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services regarding Harvey's alleged employment at the youth detention center, but has not heard back, and attempts to reach Harvey directly were unsuccessful.

The sheriff noted that the remaining two boys were ultimately identified with the assistance of another coach on the team, who is also the mother of one of those players. The sheriff praised her for coming forward and doing the right thing.

The five teenage players have each been charged with:

• Conspiracy to commit retail theft
• Tampering with evidence
• Petit theft
• Violation of the county curfew ordinance for juveniles