FORT WALTON BEACH – April 20, 2020 – According to an online news report published on the website NWFDailyNews.com, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrested two white men on Thursday, April 16, 2020, for allegedly attempting to rob someone using a gun.
The police incident report states that two men went to the victim´s residence located on Yacht Club Drive back on January 2, 2020. After the two men arrived at the victim´s residence, one of the men got into a physical fight with a victim. The police incident report states that the victim ran away because the victim fear for his life. The other suspect then allegedly fired two rounds at the victim using a black pistol. The two suspects returned to the victim´s house and allegedly shot at the victim´s Ford van and around the victim´s residence. Law enforcement was able to determine two suspects in the attempted armed robbery and the officers obtained a search warrant to examine social media account of either both or one of the known suspects. Law enforcement was able to obtain the search warrant and on one of the suspect´s Snapchat accounts, investigators learned that the crime was supposed to be an armed robbery of the victim.
The suspect who fired the black pistol was charged with discharge of a firearm from within a vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting 'Deadly Missile' at a vehicle. The other suspect was charged with discharge of a firearm from within a vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting 'Deadly Missile' at a vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, possession or fraudulent prescription labels, and possession of marijuana.
Florida Statute 790.19 – Shooting Deadly Missiles at a Vehicle
In the state of Florida, it is a crime under Florida Statute 790.19, to shoot or throw deadly missiles into or at a motor vehicle. “Deadly missiles” are defined as a “rock or other hard substance” that would produce great bodily injury or death. In addition, the victim does not need to be injured or killed in order for the suspect to be charged with this crime in the state of Florida. Florida statute 790.19 also includes a list of other types of property in which a suspect may be charged for this crime such as private or public building, train, caboose, cable railway car, locomotive, railway car, public bus, private bus, monorail car, street railway car, aircraft flying inside the airspace of the state of Florida, boat, ship, water vessel, barge within Florida boarders, or motor vehicle which occupied by any person or being used. The crime of “Shooting into or throwing deadly missiles into dwellings, public or private buildings, occupied or not occupied; vessels, aircraft, buses, railroad cars, streetcars, or other vehicles” in the state of Florida according to Florida Statute 790.19 is a felony of the second degree. The penalties, if found guilty, are a $10,000 fine plus up to fifteen years of probation or fifteen years in prison.