Witnesses, K-9 Led Deputies to Lutz Burglary Suspects

Two men wanted in connection with a residential burglary in Lutz didn’t manage to escape capture for long after three witnesses saw them walk away from the victim’s home with a laptop computer and burglary tools in hand.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the three witnesses to the Friday afternoon crime in the 1900 block of Mobil Villa Drive confronted the two suspects after snapping photographs of them. When they confronted the men, however, one of the suspects pulled out a semi-automatic handgun, pointed it at the three witnesses and then fired five rounds into the air.

The gunfire caused the witnesses to flee the scene, but they did call in deputies, who arrived in force.

The aviation unit, patrol officers and K-9 Zeus all came out to the scene just before 4 p.m. and established a perimeter.

“K9 Zeus picked up a track that led directly to the suspect’s home at 6-2010 148th Avenue East in Lutz,” an email from the sheriff’s office stated.

When deputies knocked, two men came to the door and were positively identified by the witnesses as the people involved in the burglary and subsequent shooting.

When the victim of the actual burglary came home, he confirmed his property had been broken into. Along with the laptop, jewelry and other electronic items, his Taurus .40-caliber handgun had been stolen, the email said. Deputies found that handgun in the attic of the home the two suspects were located in after receiving a consent to search the property from the home’s owner.

Neil Herron, 19, of Tampa was charged with armed burglary of a dwelling, grand theft firearm, grand theft and three counts of aggravated assault. The second person arrested was a 16-year-old boy from Lutz, who is not being identified by Patch. He faces armed burglary of a dwelling, grand theft firearm and possession of burglary tools charges. The teen was booked into the county’s Juvenile Assessment Center while Herron was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail.

Booking photo of Neil Herron courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office