Brazen armed Winter Park robbers arrested

Winter Park Police arrested two suspects last week in connection with the armed robbery of a woman along East New England Avenue last month.

Officers worked alongside the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to track down and arrest suspects Devante Irin Rivers, 17, and Antonio John Ortiz, 17, last Friday.

On Sept. 23 at around 11:49 p.m., a male suspect approached a woman along East New England Avenue brandishing a semi-automatic handgun. The suspect took the victim’s purse and phone before leaving the scene with a second suspect in a gray sedan, driven by a third person.

“Our detectives have worked tirelessly to identify and charge those responsible for this crime in our downtown business district,” Winter Park Police Chief Brett Railey said in a statement. “I want to reassure our citizens that Winter Park remains one of the safest communities in Central Florida and the police department will continue to do everything within its power to preserve and maintain a safe and secure city for everyone. ”

Police do not believe these suspects are connected with an armed robbery in which a robber brandished a gun at The Ravenous Pig recently.