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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Three teens have been charged with attempted murder after Tampa police said the teens set out to harass and assault homeless individuals for “entertainment,” saying they were “bored.”

The Tampa Police Department said the teens yelled and threw rocks at multiple people, striking a woman in her mid-30s in the back of the head and leaving a man in his mid-60s unresponsive behind a closed business.

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The man, who was taken to a hospital, suffered a traumatic brain injury and, as of Tuesday, remained on a medically necessary ventilator, according to police.

Investigators said the female victim was not seriously injured.

The purported attacks began in the early morning hours of July 13 and happened less than a mile from each other.

Officers patrolling North Nebraska Avenue said they found the male victim unresponsive around 7:45 a.m. It was then that investigators learned another person, the woman in her mid-30s, had been assaulted hours earlier near the 800 block of East MLK Boulevard.

Detectives said the victims’ accounts helped them establish a clear timeline and gather suspect descriptions.

Images of the suspects were shared department-wide, and an officer recognized them as three teens, ages 13, 14, and 16, who had been arrested earlier for burglarizing multiple vehicles along Emma Street.

Officers said they found clothing and other evidence that further linked the teens to both attacks. According to investigators, the teens’ reasoning for the attacks was simply because they were “bored.”

“The fact that boredom is cited as a reason for criminal activity at any level, let alone attempted murder, is highly concerning, and those responsible will be held fully accountable,” said Chief Lee Bercaw. “While many teens in our city actively participate in constructive, city and department-sponsored programs, there is simply no excuse for the senseless behavior demonstrated by this group.”

All three have been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon evidencing prejudice, police said. The three teens, along with a fourth suspect who was not involved in the assaults, are also being charged with six counts of burglary stemming from Emma Street investigation.

Police said the 13-year-old suspect faces additional charges for battery and exposure of sexual organs stemming from a separate incident reported by a woman at a nearby park as he was being arrested.

Anyone who has additional information that might be important to the case is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130. Those who wish to remain anonymous can provide tips to Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS.

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