3 high school students robbed at gunpoint while walking to class in Provo
An 18-year-old man is accused of robbing three high school students in Provo at gunpoint as they walked to a class at an off-campus location.
Michael Javier Flores, of Provo, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with three counts of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; possession of a weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; and drug possession and causing property damage, class B misdemeanors.
On Thursday, three students from Independence High School were walking to a Fitness for Life class being held at Paul Ream Wilderness Park near 500 North Independence Ave., according to court documents.
The students 'were behind the rest of the class and were separated by a small distance,' a police booking affidavit states.
While they were walking, a vehicle pulled up, Flores got out and robbed the students at gunpoint, according to charging documents. Flores 'got out and racked a firearm and pointed it at the group,' and took the backpacks of two students, the charges state.
Using school surveillance video, Provo police viewed the vehicle Flores was in, driving through the school parking lot before the robbery. Officers were able to track the vehicle to an apartment complex in the city, where they found Flores and arrested him.
Investigators found 18 THC vapes in Flores' bedroom along with a handgun, according to court documents. Police also found a student identification taken from one of the victims in a dumpster, and Flores allegedly admitted to breaking one of the iPhones he took.
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