Teens Stole Vehicles In Lakewood Ranch, Led Deputies On Chase: Sheriff

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL — Four teenagers — three of them younger than 18 — face multiple criminal charges after being caught stealing cars in Lakewood Ranch early Friday morning, according to a release from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Around 3 a.m., the agency received a call from a resident of the Harmony neighborhood about a group of men trying to break into vehicles. The caller also described the car they were driving.

When deputies arrived, they saw a car matching the description they were given drive away, followed by another vehicle. Three suspects also ran away, MCSO said.

Deputies tried to pull the cars over, but the drivers refused to stop, leading them on a short chase that ended in a cul-de-sac. Both drivers left their cars, which rolled forward into a pond in front of where they stopped, and ran from the deputies, the sheriff’s office said.

K-9 units found one suspect, a 15-year-old, hiding in brush nearby. He complied with deputies and was arrested.

Another suspect, who is 14 years old, was found by K-9 units in the nearby Central Park neighborhood. He didn’t listen to orders from deputies and was stopped by a K-9 and arrested, MCSO said.

The MCSO Aviation Unit found two other suspects — a 16-year-old and Tyreak Allen, 18 — trying to hide under a back, covered patio of a home in the Harmony neighborhood. They were seen grabbing the rear sliding glass door before hiding in the brush behind the neighborhood. (Watch video of the pursuit from the aviation unit below.)

Guided by the aviation unit, K-9 and patrol deputies found them and they were arrested without incident, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators learned that one of the vehicles in the pond was stolen in the Harmony neighborhood, while the second vehicle in the pond was stolen from another area, according to MCSO.

A third vehicle stolen from the Harmony neighborhood was found parked two blocks away and the keys were in Allen’s pocket, deputies said. Two guns were also found inside one of the vehicles.

Three of the suspects were charged with grand theft motor vehicle, two with aggravated fleeing to elude, two with burglary to an occupied dwelling, two with loitering and prowling, and one with resisting arrest without violence, according to the sheriff’s office.

While MCSO named all four teens, including the three who are under 18, they did not indicate whether they were charged as an adult or a juvenile. It is Patch's policy not to identify teens in the juvenile court system.

Watch the MCSO Aviation Unit's video footage from their arrest: