MINNEOLA, Fla. — A Lake County sheriff’s deputy shot a 17-year-old in the foot during a vehicle burglary investigation early Thursday after mistaking the teen’s illuminated cellphone for a firearm, according to an arrest affidavit.
Terell Oniel Johnson was arrested on felony charges of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance with a mask and attempted burglary of a conveyance with a mask, along with misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence.
Related--> Suspect hospitalized after officer-involved shooting in Lake County
Deputies responded to Cumberland Circle around 3:43 a.m. Nov. 5 after a resident reported seeing a masked person near parked vehicles on home surveillance footage, according to the affidavit prepared by Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Fadee Lutfi.
A deputy found someone matching the description rummaging through a green BMW in a driveway in the 800 block of Cumberland Circle. The person ran when the deputy stepped out of his marked patrol vehicle, then jumped a white fence behind a nearby home, the affidavit states.
The deputy briefly lost sight of the suspect, repositioned his patrol vehicle and resumed searching on foot. A patrol-car recording captured the deputy shouting, “Hey, stop!”
According to the affidavit, Johnson later emerged from behind the fence to retrieve a backpack and motorcycle-style e-bike. He pointed a cellphone with its flashlight illuminated toward the deputy, who believed the light was coming from a firearm and fired once, striking Johnson in the foot.
Johnson gave investigators a different explanation for using the flashlight. In an interview at Orlando Regional Medical Center, he said he had lost his e-bike keys while fleeing and turned on the light to search for them before encountering the deputy again, according to the affidavit.
The deputy reported that Johnson resisted being taken into custody before he was handcuffed. Johnson received treatment for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Investigators collected neighborhood surveillance footage, including video showing the initial pursuit before the deputy’s body-worn camera was activated, according to the affidavit.
Other footage showed the suspect approaching a black Toyota Corolla and crouching beside it. Investigators found handprints and smudges in dew on the car’s exterior. Its owners reported nothing missing and said they had not given Johnson permission to enter it.
The BMW’s owner also reported nothing missing and told investigators he did not wish to pursue prosecution.
During his hospital interview, Johnson admitted entering the BMW twice, including when the deputy encountered him, but denied burglarizing any other vehicle, the affidavit states.
Investigators recovered a backpack near the fence containing keys to Honda and Mazda vehicles. Detectives were working to identify their owners.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents also responded to the scene and participated in the investigation.
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