3 Lakeland Teens Arrested Following 3 Drive-By Shootings

LAKELAND, FL — A drive-by shooting in west Lakeland early Wednesday morning led to the arrests of three teens by Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives.

No one was injured in the shooting which occurred at about 1:26 a.m. at a home in the area of Chestnut Road and West Parker Street in an unincorporated area of Lakeland.

“While investigating this shooting, our detectives found that it was linked to two other drive-by shootings," said Sheriff Grady Judd. "The same three suspects were out there putting innocent lives at risk, motivated by revenge, in essence because their feelings were hurt that the victims didn’t want to be around them anymore. And, of course, there was some social media drama thrown in there as well. They wanted to act like some big bad boys, and now they’re charged with big bad-boy crimes.”

A total of nine bullet casings were recovered from the scene Thursday, with damages to a vehicle parked at the home and to the mailbox. The teens were identified immediately as having ongoing issues with the victim and his friend.

The victim told detectives that he and his friend stopped associating with the teens, angering the teens. The friend has been a victim of two drive-by shootings, one on Aug. 9 and the other on Sept. 20, which the sheriff's office has been investigating.

The victim also told investigators about recent threats he received from the teens via text messages and social media.

During the investigation, a firearm believed to have been involved in the shootings was seized from the home of one of the teens. Another firearm has not yet been located.

In each one of the shootings, there were four people inside the homes, all of whom were uninjured.

Detectives arrested two brothers, ages 16 and 17, from Lakeland and a 14-year-old from Lakeland and charged them with 12 counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, three counts of shooting from a vehicle, three counts of shooting in a residential area, three counts of improper exhibition of a firearm, three counts of possession of a firearm by a person under 18 and three counts of culpable negligence.