STUART, Fla. -- Two suspects, including a 13-year-old, were arrested Wednesday after Stuart police said they tried to shoot two people, striking their car with bullets before fleeing and hiding out in a hotel room.
Around 3 p.m., police said the suspects, one of which was identified as Roy Lee Stevens of Stuart, approached two people coming out of the Rightway Convenience store near Dixie Highway and Monterey Rd.
Police said the suspects tried to start a fight that the two people wanted nothing to do with. The customers got into their car. The suspects also got into their car and started shooting.
No one was injured, but the victim’s car had bullet holes.
Police say the victims called 911 and gave a good description of the getaway car.
Officers found the car at the Suburban Extended Day Hotel on US 1 in Stuart. They viewed surveillance video that showed the suspects going into a second story room.
Martin County assisted and SWAT Team snipers stood by in case the suspects were still armed.
After nearly an hour, negotiators convinced all three suspects to surrender peacefully.
Nearly a dozen people were evacuated from the hotel during the incident, according to Stuart Police Chief, David Dyess.
“They’ve already shown they have a propensity for violence. They shot at a vehicle and two people. So, their total disregard for life right there,” Dyess said.
“We’re in a hotel that’s got people all around all sides of the room. A lot of times, with these hotel walls a bullet can easily go through those walls,” Dyess said.
The 13-year-old suspect was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, throwing/shooting a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated juvenile.
Roy Lee Stevens, of Stuart, was charged with accessory after the fact.
Stuart police said a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol and a Ruger Blackhawk .357 revolver were found in the toilet tank inside a hotle room. A DPMS AR-15 was found in the trunk of the suspect's vehicle.
A third person was released without being charged.