2 Fla. juveniles in custody after shootout with deputies

Conservative News DailyJune 3, 2021

(AP Photo)

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UPDATED 2:10 PM PT – Thursday, June 3, 2021

Two juveniles in Florida have been taken into custody following a heated exchange of gunfire with law enforcement. According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, authorities received reports on Tuesday of a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy who allegedly ran from a foster home and broke into a nearby home.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said when deputies responded to the scene they were met with gunfire. The juveniles used guns and ammunition that they found within the home. Deputies were shot at multiple times and were extremely hesitant to return fire.

“They were calling for any de-escalation tactic,” he explained. “At one point, one of the sergeants got up to the window and threw their personal cell phone and told them to answer the phone…nothing worked.”

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES AND LANGUAGE
Body camera video and Air One footage from last night’s deputy-involved shooting in Enterprise is provided here. https://t.co/wVsXAls0LN

— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) June 2, 2021

The scene escalated when the juvenile girl confronted authorities armed with a shotgun and threatened to kill a deputy. Aerial footage shows the girl firing at the responding deputies who ultimately had to use non-lethal force to safely end the conflict.

The girl was reportedly shot and taken to a local hospital where she remains in stable condition. The boy turned himself in when he saw that the girl had been injured. Chitwood praised the efforts of his deputies by stating they acted with restraint in an attempt to try and de-escalate the situation.

“When you talk about de-escalation, when you talk about some of the bad things that you see happen around the country, it’s a failure to train,” Chitwood mentioned. “We had proper supervision out there last night directing everything, making the best decisions possible on the fly.”

Both juveniles face felony charges of attempted first-degree murder of law enforcement officers and armed burglary. Meanwhile, officials say the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will continue to investigate the shooting.