BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A 15-year-old boy is under arrest for attempted murder after police said he opened fire in the parking lot of a Restaurant Depot in Boynton Beach, injuring two people.
Officers responded to a parking lot at 1520 Southwest 8th Street around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday following reports of a robbery and shooting.
According to an arrest report, four people were inside a car in the parking lot to go shopping when three people, believed to be juveniles, came up to them.
The 15-year-old pulled out a gun and demanded money, police said. One of the victims handed over some cash, but the teen wanted more and fired a "warning shot."
The driver of the car then took off, and as the vehicle pulled away, police said the teen fired multiple shots into the car, grazing two of the victims, one in the shoulder and one in the head.
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"I was sitting at my desk minding my own business. All of a sudden, I hear a pop," said a witness who works nearby at Anything Wet Pools & Spas. "I go by the door and I look closer. All of a sudden, I hear, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop."
Witnesses said the three juveniles then sprinted from the parking lot and jumped over a fence into a nearby community.
"The kids ran toward the gate, hopped it into the neighborhood. And off from there I don't know where they went," the witness said.
POP, POP, POP, POP 🚨🚨 Witness describes shooting in Restaurant Depot parking lot, 15-year-old arrested, police say https://t.co/D0uD0Xd1ur pic.twitter.com/EPCoG0J7t3
— WPTV (@WPTV) October 28, 2021
Based on surveillance video and witness descriptions, detectives identified the 15-year-old and tracked him to his home in that community, where he was taken into custody.
Police said the teen confessed to the shooting, but told detectives "that his intent was not to hurt anybody, but rather to shoot out the tires so the vehicle would crash."
The 15-year-old is now facing charges of attempted second degree murder with a firearm and discharging a firearm in public. WPTV isn't naming him because he's a minor.
According to the arrest report, the teen is a student at Riviera Beach Preparatory & Achievement Academy.
