A prank involving a toy Orbeez gun escalated into an armed confrontation in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday, leading to the arrests of a 15-year-old juvenile and a 49-year-old man.
Incident Details
Port St. Lucie police responded to the area of SW Morelia Lane and SW Acapulco Terrace at approximately 8:50 p.m. after receiving reports that juveniles had fired what was initially believed to be a semi-automatic rifle or pellet gun from a moving vehicle.
During the investigation, officers learned that the juvenile had fired a blue, white and yellow motorized Piranha Orbeez toy gun from inside a moving vehicle, striking another occupied vehicle near the intersection.
The juvenile admitted to intentionally firing the toy gun, explaining that he mistakenly believed the vehicle belonged to a friend because it was the same make and color. He said the juveniles were playing a prank on each other.
Confrontation and Arrests
Believing he and his fiancée were being shot at with a semi-automatic rifle or pellet gun, Gregory Allen Davis, 49, and his fiancée followed the juveniles’ vehicle while remaining on the phone with 911 to provide updates to dispatch.
Investigators determined Davis had multiple opportunities to safely disengage while law enforcement was actively responding to the incident. Instead, he continued pursuing the juveniles until their vehicle stopped in traffic at the intersection of SW Morelia Lane and SW Acapulco Terrace.
Davis then exited his vehicle armed with a loaded 9mm handgun, ordering the three juveniles out of their vehicle at gunpoint and onto the ground, where they remained until officers arrived.
Following the investigation, Davis was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and false imprisonment of a child to commit aggravated abuse. The juvenile, Jordan Gomez, 15, was arrested and charged with shooting or throwing a missile at or into an occupied vehicle.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department encouraged parents to speak with their children about the dangers of using Orbeez guns, airsoft guns, BB guns, and other realistic-looking toy firearms in public.
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
