Middle-School Vandals Graffiti School With "HMDK": What Does It Mean?

Three minors face several felony charges in a case of burglary and criminal mischief at a Deerfield Beach private school. The incident happened last week when the three boys broke into St. Ambrose Catholic School, located on 363 SE 12th Ave. From the Broward Sheriff's Office news release: "The group...

By Andres David Lopez

July 9, 2013

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Three minors face several felony charges in a case of burglary and criminal mischief at a Deerfield Beach private school.

The incident happened last week when the three boys broke into St. Ambrose Catholic School, located on 363 SE 12th Ave. From the Broward Sheriff's Office news release:

"The group vandalized vending machines and threw paint on the furniture, computers and walls. During their stay they broke several cabinets and took the time to make themselves a meal, leaving their DNA on used utensils for detectives to gather as evidence."

The letters H-M-D-K were also painted on the floor of St. Ambrose. What do they mean? Is there a new gang in town?

According to Gina Carter at the Broward Sheriff's Public Information Office, the acronym stands for "Highland's Most Dope Kids." Highland Beach is a small oceanfront town in Palm Beach County. Investigators don't suspect the HMDK crew to be a dangerous gang but rather a school clique formed at Deerfield Middle School, where the three recently graduated.

New Times is not naming the youths because of their age. A school resource officer recognized them from surveillance videos, and they were arrested four days after the incident. The three were charged with criminal mischief, burglary, grand theft for discharging the fire extinguishers, and larceny for stealing from a vending machine. If convicted, they face potential sentences of several years in the juvenile justice system.

They were set to start high school soon, and their Facebook timelines reveal boredom, rap lyrics, a few Christ-themed posts, gang sign selfies in bathroom mirrors, and an infatuation with marijuana. A dozen of the trio's friends, including several girls, share crudely designed photo illustrations featuring the HMDK tag on their pages. The teens are ages 14 and 15.

Recent status updates touched on their arrest and the airing of their story on TV news.

When one of the 14-year-olds was asked by his friend (who had previously attended the school he vandalized) what happened, he replied, "Sorry for real I was high as fuck I ain't touching weed after this."

Check the video:

Follow Andres David Lopez on Twitter

Follow @NewTimesBroward

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.