WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Read the top stories with the most-watched videos from this week.
LAKE CLARKE SHORES, Fla. (CBS12) — CBS12 News has obtained disturbing surveillance video that appears to show an employee at Maximum Achievers, a therapy center in Lake Clarke Shores, hitting a child with special needs.
NEW: CBS12 Exclusive: Mother demands justice after alleged abuse of autistic son during therapy
The alleged incident happened Monday, February 23. The center said the employee seen in the video has since been fired.
According to the Lake Clarke Shores Police Department, the employee has not yet been publicly identified. However, police confirm they are actively investigating allegations of child abuse.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A 21-year-old man carrying a gas can and a shotgun was shot and killed early Sunday after breaching the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, authorities said.
According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the man, later identified as Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, was carrying a gas can and a shotgun when he entered the Mar-a-Lago property around 1:30 a.m.
The man was confronted at the Mar-a-Lago gates by law enforcement and ordered to drop the equipment. The man dropped the gas can but raised his shotgun into a shooting position. He was shot and killed by officers.
The Secret Service says Martin was shot by two U.S. Secret Service agents and a PBSO deputy. No law enforcement officers were injured.
“Only words we said to him was drop the items. Meaning the shotgun and gas can,” Bradshaw said. “He put the gas can down. And pointed the shotgun at the officers.”
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — The Fort Pierce Police Department identified the elderly couple found dead inside their Harbour Isle at Hutchinson Island condominium Tuesday as 85-year-old Philip Repaci Sr. and 80-year-old Joan Repaci, both residents of Fort Pierce.
Additionally, police said their son, 55-year-old Philip Repaci Jr., is now a suspect in their deaths. The deaths were deemed suspicious, and officers secured the gated community while processing the scene. According to Fort Pierce Police, Repaci is a former New York City Police Officer.
It appears the son lived in the same community as his parents and he made headlines in the New York City newspapers after a fall from grace from the NYPD. He was accused of stealing union checks and bribing a witness.
As we were trying to learn more about his background, we found out he went public with a story about being the victim of child abuse at the hands of a baseball coach when he was a boy.
“We have a family that is completely devastated by the occurrences from yesterday, and we are working through this system to try and be able to put all the pieces together of this puzzle to be clear and have some clarity for the family so that they understand what actually transpired,” said Maj. Mike Santiago, Fort Pierce Police.
PAHOKEE, Fla. (CBS12) — Three people are dead, and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after a deputy-involved shooting in Pahokee.
“What we have is this guy went on one hell of a crime spree tonight, shooting people, killing them, and then obviously trying to kill our deputy,” said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
On Wednesday at 10:12 p.m., at 171 Booker Place, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a call came in for a shooting. When deputies arrived, they found two men shot dead. PBSO identified the victims on Thursday as Henry McClean Jr., 37, and Francisco Pacheco, 40.
Minutes later, a second call came in for a shooting at a residence in the 8700 block of Doveland Drive. The callers described a black SUV. Although investigators say multiple shots were fired, no individuals were struck. Deputies were in the process of securing the area with crime scene tape when the situation escalated further.
At 10:18 p.m., Sheriff Bradshaw said the suspect drove to a convenience store about a half mile away, at 750 Belle Glade Road, and shot a man. The victim is still alive and was taken to a local hospital via a trauma hawk. PBSO said the victim is expected to survive.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The Amrit Ocean Resort on Singer Island opened less than two years ago with glossy promises of resort-style living, ocean views, and luxury wellness amenities. But for some buyers who paid millions for units in the oceanfront tower, that vision has collided with lawsuits, tax disputes, and a fundamental question: Were these units ever approved to be lived in as full-time homes?
That question is now at the center of a growing legal fight involving the developer, Riviera Beach city records, and sales documents reviewed by CBS12.
Riviera Beach City Council member Glen Spiritis told CBS12 he began hearing from frustrated buyers last year.
“These people thought they were going to be living on the beach — not in a courtroom,” Spiritis said.
Spiritis said owners believed they were purchasing units they could occupy as permanent residences, and in some cases qualify for Florida’s homestead exemption — a tax benefit reserved for primary residences.
