Teen basketball players accused of stealing from Florida 7-Eleven — and their coach lied to protect them, officials say

Five teenage basketball players from the Washington, D.C., area are accused of stealing from a Florida 7-Eleven — and their coach lied to protect some of them, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

The accused teens — all between 16 and 17 years old and hailing from Maryland and Washington, D.C. — are members of Run It Up, a travel basketball program affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union, officials said.

The sheriff's office added that the coach works for the Department of Juvenile Services at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Maryland, 'where his responsibilities include assisting and empowering youth.'

Their team was in the area to participate in the Puma NXTPro basketball tournament, and they were staying at a Solterra Resort vacation rental, which is less than a mile from the convenience store in the 3100 block of Ronald Reagan Parkway in Davenport, officials said.

Officials said the theft occurred Thursday around 4:10 a.m. and that the suspects concealed merchandise such as Doritos, gummies, Starburst Minis, a Big Mama sausage, lemonade, and grape and orange Slurpees — with a total value of $37.60.

A clerk confronted the suspects about the thefts, and they fled the store, officials said.

Sheriff's deputies responded to the area and located three of the suspects near the entrance of the Solterra Resort vacation rental after they placed the stolen goods into a backpack and hid it in bushes, officials said.

A detective made contact with the team's coach, Malik Abdul Harvey, 27, of Maryland, and asked if he could identify the remaining two suspects from a security video, officials said.

Later in the morning, the remaining two suspects were located, and they admitted Harvey was their coach, officials said.

Harvey then confessed to lying about not knowing the other two suspects in order to protect them, officials said.

The five theft suspects each were charged with two felonies — conspiracy to commit retail theft and tampering with evidence — as well as two misdemeanors, petit theft, and violation of the county curfew ordinance for juveniles, officials said.

Harvey was charged with felony child neglect as well as three misdemeanors: contributing to the delinquency of a minor, accessory after the fact, and resisting without violence, officials said.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd spoke at length about Harvey:

RELATED: Florida fools charged with felonies after cops say they coordinated theft of food, drinks from a Wawa — totaling about $40

Image source: Polk County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office video screenshot

The sheriff's office added that the coach works for the Department of Juvenile Services at the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Maryland "where his responsibilities include assisting and empowering youth."

The basketball trip was not associated with his employment duties, officials said.

Jail records indicate Harvey remained behind bars Friday afternoon; his total bail amount is $10,000.

Believe it or not, the sheriff's office in late June arrested a dozen adults and three juveniles who they said were stealing food and drinks from a Wawa in Davenport — and the total value of the items was about $40.

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