Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies need the public's help identifying the suspects who stalked a pair of teens at a Brandon mall, followed them to a neighborhood and fired a shot into their car on Wednesday.

  • Father says teens were stalked, beginning at mall
  • Shot was fired at victims' passenger door
  • Below: Watch YouTube surveillance video (or click here)

"They hunted these kids for hours," said the 16-year-old girl's dad, Daniel Johnson, 36. "And then acted on it."

Surveillance video from the Westfield Mall shows the 16-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy cross paths with the suspects near the food court. We're not identifying the victims because they're minors.

Johnson said the suspects targeted the teens after seeing his daughter with some cash. 

"She was showing her friend the money and they walked up on her and her friend and they were both looking directly at my daughter," he said. "You could see the nerve, where she just, like, real quick put the money down and just kept walking."

The video shows the suspects turnaround and begin following the teens at a distance for about an hour in the mall. Deputies believe the suspects, a man in his 20's and a woman between 25-35 years old, wanted to commit an armed robbery.

Johnson said the teens did not realize the suspects were following them after they left the mall. Video shows the suspects driving off in a black SUV. The teens drove to a puppy store and then to a Valrico neighborhood.

"That's when they ended in the cul de sac. Come back around the corner and these people ... rushed up on them, stopped them," said Johnson. "Blocked them in and he (male suspect) immediately jumped out pointing the weapon at the windshield towards her face."

Johnson said his daughter told her friend to quickly drive away and the suspect fired a shot into the passenger door. Luckily, the teens were not injured, got away and called 911.

If you recognize the two suspects call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200.