16-year-old caught in stolen car arrested for bringing gun on Hernando County school bus: Deputies

SPRING HILL, Fla. - A Hernando County 16-year-old caught in a stolen car was later arrested on Wednesday for having a gun on a school bus in Spring Hill, according to authorities.  

According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to Mariner's Cay Apartments at around 11:30 p.m. on January 12 to find a stolen vehicle. Sheriff Al Nienhuis said the vehicle was being driven by a 16-year-old. 

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When the responding deputy approached the 16-year-old, he fled and pushed the deputy out of the way. The teen then took off in the stolen vehicle before subsequently crashing it on Mariner Boulevard.

On January 16, students at Springstead High School reported that the 16-year-old had a firearm on the same day he was driving the stolen vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.

After looking at surveillance footage from the school bus and school, HCSO uncovered the teen showing off his firearm to fellow bus riders. 

"To say it’s serious is an understatement," Nienhuis said. "You can’t put into words how serious it is, using guns in the commission of crimes."

According to Nienhuis, deputies had to determine whether the item shown on surveillance was an actual firearm and whether it was functional. 

Later, on January 31, a 17-year-old was shot at Mariner's Cay Apartments in what was later deemed an accidental shooting.

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An 18-year-old was taken into custody in connection to that shooting, but once it was identified as an accidental shooting, they were released. Nienhuis said, however, the firearm used in that shooting was the same one the 16-year-old had on the school bus weeks before.

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"If you were on that bus and you knew about it, you have an obligation to keep everybody safe," Hernando County School District Superintendent John Stratton said. "Report it."

The 16-year-old student was apprehended and charged with possessing or discharging weapons or firearms in school-sponsored events or school property. He was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Ocala, where he remains in custody. 

Nienhuis said investigators are still working to determine where the weapon came from and whether it was actually stolen. He said there is some indication that it was stolen.

The sheriff also discussed current legislation in Florida that would crack down on juvenile gun crimes.

"We have some legislation that is going through Tallahassee now, that will hopefully send a very clear message to young people who are using guns in crimes, that they will stay in secure facilities until the time of their trial," Nienhuis said.