The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is looking to charge a 15-year-old as an adult on attempted murder charges after the teen allegedly tried to rob a Lakeland McDonald’s.
Deputies say the teen attempted to rob an employee behind the fast-food chain at 1805 Shepherd Road in Lakeland around 1:40 a.m. Thursday.
According to a release, the victim alerted two people in a nearby parked car to call 911. That’s when the teen fired three shots at the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said, striking it once. None of the victims were hit.
Deputies found the teen hiding in bushes behind a Publix shopping plaza with a Glock 9mm and a black mask, the release said.
“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. It’s completely unacceptable, so we’re going to 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,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
Charges against the teen included:
3-counts of attempted murder
- attempted armed burglary
- discharging a firearm in a public place
- possession of marijuana and paraphernalia
The sheriff’s office said more charges are likely.