Authorities in Florida are on the hunt for an individual who reportedly assaulted two young boys over a Play-Doh incident before making his escape in a blue Honda. The incident took place at the Millennium Apartment Complex in Fort Myers, according to a Facebook post by SWFL Crime Stoppers, which was subsequently shared by the local sheriff’s office. The post included a short clip from a witness’s recording, allegedly showing the suspect in action.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident on Saturday at 1:04 p.m. and interviewed the alleged victims. The boys reported that they were walking southbound on Three Oaks Pkwy, playing with Play-Doh and tossing it towards the street. They claimed that a blue vehicle made a U-turn and began to pursue them, prompting them to run. The first boy stated that an unidentified Hispanic male punched him in the face with a closed fist, causing him to fall. The assailant then continued to punch him and stomped on his face before leaving the scene.
The authorities found the boy in a distressed state, with visible abrasions and scratches on his face. The second boy confirmed the first boy’s account. He said they were throwing Play-Doh from the sidewalk when they noticed the blue Honda chasing them. He witnessed the man assaulting his friend and tried to intervene.
The second boy quoted the attacker as saying, “You f—ers are the ones throwing rocks.” Due to privacy laws protecting victims and children, the authorities did not disclose the boys’ identities, and large portions of the affidavit were redacted. However, one of the boys, 13-year-old Julian Torres, spoke publicly about the incident.
Torres told a local NBC affiliate, “So we started like throwing it in the road. There wasn’t really cars there, but we were just like throwing in the road. And one of my friends threw a piece in the road, and there was a car coming on really fast, and it kind of like hit the Play-Doh, and I guess the guy got upset and he did a whole U-turn around the whole entire park back to the community.”
The suspect is described as a 5-foot-9-inch man with an average build, driving a blue, four-door car, possibly a Honda, with a pink heart sticker on the rear bumper. As of Tuesday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that no arrests have been made. They are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS or deputies at 239-477-1000.