2 Men Arrested After Home Invasion, Car Jacking

Two men were arrested following an alleged home invasion and an attempted carjacking Friday afternoon in Bradenton, authorities said.

Deputies responded to an apartment at The Vista at Palma Sola, in the 3900 block of 75th Street West, around 1:10 p.m., where a 35-year-old man and 20-year-old woman said they came home to find the two suspects already inside their residence.

A fight broke out, and the male victim suffered "non-life threatening injuries" when a gun was fired by one of the suspects, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Both of the suspects then fled.

A short time later, the two men attempted to steal a 66-year-old man's car but were unsuccessful, officials said. Deputies then found Andre Romilus, 19, and Johnny Blanc, 21, in the 6600 block of Cortez Road West, where they were arrested without incident.

"The connection between the victims and suspects is unclear at this time but detectives do not believe this was a random incident," the sheriff's office said in a media release.

Romilus and Blanc are charged with attempted carjacking, with additional charges pending, according to the release.

Several businesses were briefly placed on lockdown by authorities as they searched for the two men, the Bradenton Herald reports.

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