LAKELAND, Fla. — Deputies arrested a 15-year-old boy early Thursday following a shooting in a McDonald's parking lot, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Law enforcement responded just after 1:30 a.m. to the fast food restaurant, located at 1805 Shepherd Road, following reports of gunfire, the agency said in a news release.
They were told the 15-year-old tried to rob an employee at gunpoint.
The McDonald's employee told people in a parked car nearby to call 911 and after that time, the teen fired three shots toward the car, hitting it once, the sheriff's office said.
After a brief chase, deputies arrested the teen hiding in the bushes behind a Publix. They say he was carrying a Glock 9mm weapon.
"It’s aggravating that a 15-year old would be out in the middle of the night robbing people at gunpoint and shooting at people," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "It’s completely unacceptable, so we’re going meet with the State Attorney’s Office about charging this suspect as an adult.
"We need juveniles to realize that we’re not going to tolerate such abhorrent, dangerous behavior."
The teen faces charges of attempted murder, attempted armed burglary, discharging a firearm in a public place, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
