Florida Suspects, 14 and 12, Were 'Out to Kill Cops'

Florida officials have likened two suspects who allegedly opened fire on deputies on Tuesday to Bonnie and Clyde. The key difference is that they're 14 and 12 years old. Deputies who responded to an Enterprise home to find a burglary in process ended up shooting a 14-year-old female, who was in critical but stable condition on Wednesday, per the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Per the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, the girl and a 12-year-old boy had run away from a group home before ransacking the residence, where they found an AK-47, shotgun, and pistol, which they used to fire on deputies multiple times from various locations, including a bedroom, garage, and pool deck. Deputies initially held off on returning fire, opting to throw a sergeant's personal cellphone into the house for communication, per ABC News. But the suspects "were coming out to kill cops," Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

"This is like Bonnie and Clyde," he added. He said deputies ultimately fired 60 rounds, hitting the female as she pointed the shotgun at deputies. The boy carrying the AK-47 then surrendered, saying the girl had planned to take on law enforcement as though she were in the video game Grand Theft Auto, Chitwood noted. The girl had been charged with setting six fires in April and while living at another group home, per the News-Journal. Chitwood said she was processed through juvenile court but didn't comply with her sentence. She and the boy—now charged with attempted first-degree murder and armed burglary—had been staying at Florida United Methodist Children's Home, where a 14-year-old boy was accused of fatally beating a security officer earlier this year. The home has suspended its program providing temporary shelter to high-risk children. (More police shooting stories.)