TAMPA, Fla. — A 16-year-old was arrested after Tampa police said he opened fire at a group of officers in an unmarked patrol car Tuesday evening.
The shooting happened around 5:41 p.m. on North 54th Street near East 28th Avenue in Tampa.
Three officers were conducting proactive patrol in an unmarked car in the Grant Park community when they saw a group of people gathered outside a house. Someone shot at their car before the group dispersed, according to police.
No one was hurt and the officers did not fire back.
Thanks to information from neighbors, detectives say they were able to identify the shooter as a 16-year-old boy. They arrested him and charged him with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police say they found the gun at a nearby home where the teen had tried to hide it.
During the 16-year-old's arrest, police also found active warrants for a 17-year-old who was with him. The 17-year-old was arrested on charges unrelated to the shooting, including aggravated battery, robbery with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder.
"Within hours of the shooting, detectives were able to identify and arrest
those involved because of the assistance we received from concerned
neighbors," Interim Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said. "That pertinent information, along with surveillance video located in the nearby area, allowed officers to quickly take the shooter into custody."
"I commend all those who came forward and heeded the message we cannot repeat enough in law enforcement: if you see something, say something," he continued.
The investigation is ongoing.