OREM — Two men arrested for robbing two teens at gunpoint said they did so to get money to buy gas.
Wednesday afternoon at about 2 p.m., a 15-year-old boy and his 17-year-old friend were walking on Orem Boulevard when a man came up to them wearing a bandana around his face and demanding drugs, said Orem Police Lt. Doug Edwards.
When the boys said they didn't have any drugs, the man asked for their shoes and coats, pointing to a black handgun that was tucked in his waistband.
The man got the clothes and then jumped into a purple van that had pulled up, Edwards said.
About 20 minutes later, an officer patrolling the area saw a purple van parked in a carport near 400 W. 300 North, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in 4th District Court.
A 23-year-old man outside the home was detained by police although he initially denied any involvement in a robbery, according to the affidavit.
Another officer brought the two victims to the house where they immediately identified the van as being the robber's van, Edwards said.
When no one answered the apartment door, officers got a search warrant for the house and van. But just then, the other 18-year-old man came out of the house, Edwards said.
The two victims identified him as the one who allegedly robbed them.
Officers found the boys' clothes, a black air-soft gun and a bandana in the home.
The men were read their Miranda rights, and the older man said they robbed the kids because they needed some gas money, according to the affidavit.
The men were booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of aggravated robbery on $15,000 and $20,000 cash-only bonds.
Edwards said both men have been associated with gangs in the past.