Teen Charged With Attempted Murder In Robbery At McDonald's: Sheriff

LAKELAND, FL — A 15-year old male was arrested by Polk County sheriff's detectives early Thursday morning after detectives said he tried to rob a McDonald's restaurant at gunpoint and then shot at a vehicle three times.

The teen from Mulberry has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, attempted armed burglary, discharging a firearm in a public place and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

The investigation is ongoing and detectives said more charges are likely.

Polk deputies responded to the McDonald’s restaurant at 1805 Shepherd Road in Lakeland at 1:38 a.m. following reports of gunshots in the parking lot.

When they arrived, deputies learned the 15-year-old attempted to rob an employee at gunpoint behind the restaurant. The victim told two people in a parked vehicle nearby to call 911, and the teen then fired three shots toward the car, striking it once.

He fled the scene on foot. No one was injured.

Deputies created a perimeter around the area and a K-9 unit located the teen hiding in the bushes behind a Publix shopping plaza with a Glock 9 mm handgun and a black mask.

“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," said Sheriff Grady Judd. "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.”