LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — Law enforcement arrested two adults and a teen over the weekend in connection to a shooting that left a 16-year-old injured during a botched drug deal, authorities say.
Michael Lopergalo and Ryan Cairel, both 18, and a 16-year-old were arrested and each charged with two counts of attempted homicide.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office earlier said last Wednesday evening, two teens — aged 16 and 17 — were trying to sell marijuana in the parking lot near Tropical Smoothie Cafe at the intersection of State Road 54 and Livingston Road.
This was when the two were approached by men wearing ski masks. As the teens tried to drive away, the 16-year-old was shot by one of the masked men, the sheriff's office stated.
According to an arrest report, Cairel fired multiple 7.62 mm caliber rounds "from an 'AK47' style rifle." Some shots went into the teens' car, with the 16-year-old hit in the buttocks and right thigh, the report reads.
The sheriff's office says the teens then drove to Crunch Fitness near Collier Parkway about a mile down the road, still being followed by the men who shot at them. The 16-year-old ran inside the gym and asked for help while still being fired upon, the arrest report reads.
No one was hit during this "second volley of firing." The arrest report states multiple people shot at the teens during this time.
The 16-year-old was able to speak with Pasco County Sheriff's Office deputies about the shooting as part of their investigation. They say he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Lopergalo and Cairel were arrested in Tampa, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.