Three teenagers chased down another boy and beat him before stealing his sneakers in Stafford County, Virginia, and then requested an Uber driver to pick them up near the crime scene, authorities said.
Witnesses told deputies they saw the teen boys, who wore hoodies, Adidas pants and ski masks, chase the victim through an apartment complex on Providence Street Monday afternoon, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said.
The suspects jumped the victim and then beat him until he was unconscious, deputies said. At one point, a teen kicked the victim in the face as he laid on the ground, according to witnesses.
The victim's mother, whose name is being withheld, said questions rushed through her mind: "Oh my God, is he OK? Is he alive? What is going on? What transpired?"
After the suspects allegedly stole the victim's sneakers, authorities said they ran off into a wooded area.
Deputies arrived and helped the victim until medics arrived.
Meanwhile, more deputies searched for the suspects using a drone and a K-9. Two of the masked teens tried to escape the wooded area but ran back when they saw a deputy stationed near a cul-de-sac. But the teens returned to the cul-de-sac a short time later from a different angle, the Sheriff's office said.
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It soon became clear why they were heading toward the cul-de-sac: They had ordered an Uber to pick them up, the Sheriff's office said.
Deputies told the Uber driver her services weren't needed -- and that they'd give the teens a ride.
They arrested the two 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy and charged them each with robbery, aggravated malicious wounding and other charges.
The victim was treated and released from the hospital. He is now recovering at home, the Sheriff's office said.
"I just was running off my adrenaline to make sure my son was OK," the victim's mother said. "I don't [feel safe], not at all."
