Teens Took Dad’s Car, Wrecked It In Armed Robbery

LAKELAND, FL — Two 14-year-old boys face criminal charges after a Tuesday armed robbery in Lakeland resulted in a gunshot going off and a car belonging to one of the teen’s father’s getting smashed.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the string of events began in the early morning hours of March 28 when one 14-year-old boy went to the other’s home for a visit. Once inside, the boy is accused of kicking the door to his friend’s father’s bedroom open and taking two firearms from the room. With guns in hand, deputies say the visiting teen told his friend he wanted to “hit a lick,” which means rob someone, according to an email from the sheriff’s office.

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The two boys are then accused of taking a 2006 Honda that belonged to the dad whose guns were stolen. That car was then driven to a home on Jungle Street around 11 a.m. Once there, deputies say, the boys picked up Isaac Rose, 22. The teen who kicked down the door is accused of pointing a gun at Rose and demanding cash and drugs. The boy, deputies say, threatened Rose’s life if he didn't comply.

“Rose struggled with (the teen) and during the struggle the gun fired at least once, shooting into the car seat,” the email said. At some point during the struggle, the teen whose father owns the guns reportedly pulled out a handgun, too.

Rose, the agency’s email said, grabbed that boy’s gun and jumped out of the Honda to escape.

At some point during the struggle, deputies say the Honda went into reverse and hit a tree, “causing extensive damage.” The car was found abandoned a short time later on Timber Path, the agency reported. One teen was located by deputies near the vehicle. The other was brought into custody a short time later.

Both teens, who Patch is not identifying due to their ages, have lengthy criminal histories, according to the sheriff's office. They now face such new charges as robbery with a firearm, grand theft of a firearm and violation of probation.

Rose, the agency noted, also has a criminal past that includes “11 felonies, 21 misdemeanors, and one state prison incarceration.”

In announcing the arrests, Sheriff Grady Judd said the teens “desperately need to be held accountable for their criminal exploits before they end up killing someone. Let’s hope this time they are kept separate from the community, punished and provided tough, no-nonsense and non-coddling rehabilitation that will help them turn their loves around.”

Both boys were booked into the Polk County Juvenile Assessment Center following their arrests.

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