DELRAY BEACH — A mentally challenged man who saved his money to buy a highly anticipated video game was attacked and robbed just after he left the store, police said.
Rohan Dawkins, 21, had gone to a GameStop store on Tuesday to pick up a copy of Grand Theft Auto V, something he had been looking forward to for weeks.
But police say it turns out a couple also wanted the game — and apparently didn't want to pay for it.
When Dawkins left the store and walked through the parking lot at about 4 p.m., the pair pulled up in a car and robbed him, police said.
Dawkins suddenly found himself in a real-life version of the violence depicted in the video game, which is known for its over-the-top forays into crime and bloodshed.
According to police reports, the man asked Dawkins for the time. Dawkins was about to answer when the man grabbed the game and jumped back in the car.
In a desperate attempt to get his game back, Dawkins ran to the car and opened the door.
The woman started kicking and punching Dawkins to get him away from the vehicle before the pair drove off, police said.
"I would let them know that it wasn't nice, and it hurt me," Dawkins said Thursday.
Dawkins would show up every week at the GameStop, paying in $10 or $20 installments to be able to buy the game, said Delray Beach police Detective Peter Sosa.
"That's what ticks me off the most," the detective said.
Dawkins' job coach at Lynn University, Barrington Gilbert, said Dawkins was extremely upset after the incident.
"It definitely hurts me to my heart of see people doing something like that." Gilbert said.
Dawkins, who has an intellectual disability, attends a transitional program for special needs adults at Lynn during the week, Gilbert said. On weekends, he works at Home Depot.
After the robbery, the pair's next stop was another GameStop store at the Boynton Beach Mall at about 4:30 p.m., where they tried and failed to return the game for a refund, Sosa said.
The suspects, identified as Tommy Davis, 27, and Adele Jones, 26, both of Delray Beach, were arrested Thursday.
Sosa said investigators recognized Davis from the store's surveillance footage. Dawkins immediately identified them in a photo lineup, he said.
Released Tuesday, the latest installment in the hugely popular Grand Theft Auto series racked up $800 million in sales in its first 24 hours.
While he believes the game taken from Dawkins was bought by another person for $60, Sosa said police need firmer evidence to make a third arrest.
Davis and Jones, who have four children together, are each facing charges of strong-armed robbery and dealing in stolen property.
But the story also has a silver lining. On Thursday night, Delray Beach police announced on Facebook that a new GTA V game had been delivered to police, and that Dawkins would receive it Friday.
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