A New Breed of Criminals Are On The Rise Along the Gulf Coast
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
A New Breed of Violent Criminals Emerges on the Gulf Coast
By: Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
November 5, 2025
FOLEY, Ala. Acts of violence committed by juveniles, such as armed robberies, carjackings, shootings, and gang activity, have been on the rise nationwide for quite some time, and police in many cities are losing the battle.
More teens are carrying firearms, selling drugs, and committing serious felonies, including carjackings, robberies, and murders.
While many people still believe that these things only happen in the big cities, the fact is, the size of a town or city or its location no longer plays a part in whether violent crimes occur.
Recent national violent crime trends in some larger cities have shown slight decreases in violent crimes such as homicides, robberies, and assaults, with one exception, and that is violent juvenile crimes.
A recently issued federal report showed that there was a 65% jump in juvenile homicides between 2016 and 2022 and a rise in juveniles’ share of overall violent crime arrests in 2022. Risk factors like early substance use, certain conduct disorders, and exposure to family violence contribute to juvenile violence. Social media is also playing a role in some recent incidents, according to police across the country, including right here in Alabama.
Kids as young as ten are committing serious, violent, heinous crimes that includes murder, attempted murder, rapes, carjacking, robberies, and kidnappings.
In the past sixty days, teenagers in both Mobile and Baldwin County have been responsible for multiple shootings, auto thefts, burglaries, robberies, attempted murders, and murders.
In just the past three weeks, Foley police have arrested multiple teenagers involved in two recent shootings. At least eight juveniles are facing attempted murder charges and charges related to illegal possession of narcotics.
Recent arrests of juveniles on both sides of the bay show a rise in crimes, especially violent crimes being committed by groups of armed juveniles, some engaged in crimes with adults.
In May, Foley police arrested a juvenile and an adult for Robbery 1st, a Class A felony, after they robbed an individual.
Last week, Mobile police arrested a teen with a loaded gun at the Pathway School at 1365 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue.
Police also arrested a juvenile for stealing a car, leading police on a pursuit that ended after the driver crashed into a house, knocking the home off its foundation, and caused the house to be uninhabitable.
In September of this year, Mobile County deputies were conducting surveillance of criminal activity near Wilson Ave and St. Stephens Rd after being alerted of a stolen vehicle.
When deputies tried stopping the vehicle, which contained four juveniles, shots were fired at the deputies by several of the teens.
The driver, a 13-year-old, was detained by the Mobile Police Department. The front passenger, a 15-year-old, and a rear passenger, a 17-year-old, were detained after a short foot pursuit by MCSO.
The other rear passenger, a 14-year-old juvenile, fled the scene but was later captured in another location by MCSO deputies.
It was determined that the vehicle was stolen from the Mobile Police Department jurisdiction.
The charges are as follows:
* The 13-year-old juvenile is charged with Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Receiving Stolen Property 1st Degree and Attempt to Elude/felony. He was transported to Strickland Youth Center.
* The 15-year-old juvenile is charged with Receiving Stolen Property 1st Degree and Attempt to Elude/misdemeanour. He was transported to Strickland Youth Center.
* The 14-year-old juvenile is charged with Assault 1st Degree, Receiving Stolen Property 1st degree, Attempt to Elude/misdemeanour, and Certain Persons forbidden to carry, Discharge gun occupied/unoccupied building/vehicle and he was transported to Strickland Youth Center.
* The 17-year-old juvenile was charged with Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Receiving Stolen Property 1st, Attempt to Elude/misdemeanour, Certain Persons forbidden to carry, Assault 1st, Discharge gun occupied/unoccupied Building/vehicle and he was transported to Metro Jail and charged as an adult.
The 17-year-old is believed to have been involved with two other shootings:
* A shooting which occurred on June 4, 2025, at St. Stephens Woods Apartment where his brother, a two-year-old, was injured (S25060060 and S25060067).
* A shooting that occurred two days before on September 16, 2025, at the Hop In Food Store (S25090319).
During the same week, a teenager was arrested for armed robbery of a Vape shop.
On August 28, 2025, a man walking in the downtown area of Mobile was robbed of his wallet and backpack at gunpoint.
Police arrested one adult and two juveniles for armed robberies.
A homicide in Mobile in May 2025 on Woodland Avenue was committed by two teenagers. Both have been charged with second-degree murder.
In October, Foley police responded to a drive-by shooting in the 1000 block of East Azalea Avenue. Amid Dujari Houston, 20, was found shot.
Foley police charged two 15-year-olds with attempted murder, and an adult was also charged with helping the teens to flee the state after the shooting.
Juveniles in Baldwin County have also been charged with rape, drug possession, auto burglaries and various other property crimes as well as the more serious, violent felonies.
Like it or not, with growth comes both the good and the bad. The once quiet, serene, and laid back “Redneck Riviera” as many once called it, has quickly developed into much more than a retirement or vacation retreat.
The Foley-Gulf Shores metro area is the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area, a rapidly growing region in Baldwin County, Alabama, that includes cities like Foley, Gulf Shores, and Fairhope. The metro area has been ranked as one of the fastest growing in the U.S., attracting both retirees and other demographics due to its coastal location, quality of life, and amenities.
With rapid population growth comes all of those big city benefits as well as its traffic, crime, and strains on public safety, public utilities, and local government.
In Part Two, we’ll be looking at some of the reasons why violent juvenile crimes are on the rise locally and nationwide.
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