Teens accused of assaulting e-scooter employee, taking off with scooters

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They wanted scooters and they had a gun. Police said three teens violently forced an employee to turn over a couple of e-scooters in Midtown Tuesday afternoon. 

The contract employee for Lime told FOX 5's Denise Dillon he was at the corner of West Peachtree and North Avenue by the MARTA station repositioning scooters when three teens approached him demanding he give them some unlocked scooters.

"They became very aggressive, two of the younger guys were pushing me and trying to jerk the scooters away from me," he said. 

He said they offered him some cash. 

"They offered me a hundred dollars, he showed me the hundred dollars cash," he said. 

The employee refused and that's when things turned serious. 

"He lifted his shirt up and I saw the handle of the gun. Whether it was real or not I don't know, I wasn't going to take any chances," he said.

The scooters were the perfect getaway vehicle, but it's also how police tracked them down. 

"Fortunately the scooters had tracking devices so we were able to pinpoint the location," said Atlanta Police Officer Stephanie Brown. 

When police found the teens about two miles away at Northside Drive and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, the teens ditched the scooters and took off running. 

Police said there was a brief chase, but they caught up with them in a neighborhood about a mile away. 

Marquaevious Miller, 17, and a 13-year-old were arrested. They're charged with aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The third teen, who the employee said looked to be about 13 or 14, is still on the run. 

"Hopefully they find the last guy. That's really scary. You're out working on the scooters and someone runs up on you and tells you to start it? It's awful," said Ebony Spratley who lives in the area. 

"I don't know what kids are thinking. There's too many ways to get money and be productive, for God's sake get a library card or something," said November Spratley who lives in the area. 

The employee wasn't hurt but admits it was a bizarre and frightening situation.