SANFORD, Fla. – Two teens were arrested after Sanford police said they were connected to multiple shootings in the area over the Labor Day weekend.
Police responded to reports of a shooting on Terry Lane around 11 p.m. on Sunday. When authorities arrived, they learned of another shooting on Scott Drive. Witnesses reported a dark SUV leaving at the time of both shootings.
Officers on the way to Terry Lane spotted a vehicle matching the description of the one seen leaving the area and attempted to make a traffic stop. Police said the SUV fled and was later found abandoned near 13th Street and Olive Avenue. Two males were seen running away, according to a news release.
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Officers were able to locate the 16-year-old and 17-year-old who were in the vehicle as they were fleeing the scene. A .22-caliber Taurus handgun the 16-year-old was seen throwing as he ran from police was later recovered, according to the news release.
The teens are both charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and trespassing. Additional charges in connection with the shooting are pending, officials said.
Police said it appears the Scott Drive shooting was connected to two previous gun violence incidents that occurred earlier in the weekend.
Investigators continue to work to identify two more individuals suspected in the shootings.