FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A teen has been hospitalized after a man allegedly caught him trying to break into his car in Fort Lauderdale.
Police responded to the scene in the Tarpon River neighborhood, early Tuesday morning.
According to police, the homeowner told investigators he awoke to someone breaking into his car. He went outside to check and see what was happening and opened fire on the person that he saw breaking into his vehicle.
Police said the 16-year-old suspect was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
A bicycle could be seen laying in the road near the scene. However, it was not clear if it was related to the incident, but it was surrounded by several evidence markers.
A neighbor said that although she didn’t see what happened, she could hear the gunshots as she was getting ready for work.
“I believe there were like four or five consecutive gunshots. It woke me up,” said Carolyn Moreno.
“They’re doing construction there. They’re finishing the road in the back over there, so I was just confused that it might have been them dropping that like heavy wood,” said Adam Ginsberg, who also heard the gunshots.
“I heard five gunshots in the middle of the night, around 5 o’clock in the morning,” said Moreno. “I wasn’t sure if they were gunshots, but then it was confirmed when I heard people talking outside, so I kind of peeked out the window, and then I saw cops.”
The shooting remains under investigation.
“You’re trying to protect your property, then you have a legal gun, then, you know, I guess you have to do what you have to do,” said Moreno. “I mean, I’ve never been in that moment, so I don’t know exactly how I would react, and I hope I never do.”
No charges have been filed.
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