MANATEE — MANATEE -- A convicted felon, a teenager and their mother were arrested late Monday after multiple shots were fired around children outside a home in the 700 block of 33rd Avenue Drive East.
Manatee sheriff's deputies were called to the residence because of shots being fired, according to a sheriff's report. A neighbor called and reported several men were out front shooting by a maroon SUV.
When they arrived, deputies heard several shots coming from the side of a home in the 600 block of 33rd Avenue Drive East. Deputies saw a 17-year-old firing into the air with a .45-caliber handgun with at least three children present, according to the report.
Deputies ordered the teen to drop his weapon, but he tried to hide behind the fence, the report stated. The young man eventually dropped the weapon and was arrested without further incident.
Deputies then found several 9mm and shotgun shell casings in a nearby front yard, where there were still about six people inside the home. They kept walking in and out, creating a safety issue for the officers because firearms were still unaccounted for, the report stated. Everyone inside was ordered to exit, including a 17-year-old who complied but then turned and began charging toward a detective.
When the teen began to struggle violently, the deputy used a stun gun to gain compliance. While attempting to arrest the juvenile, his brother tried pushing deputies away and was arrested for obstruction, according to the report. Their mother, Rosa Espinosa, was also arrested after she began charging toward deputies during the arrest of her sons and was stopped by a deputy. During the arrest, Espinosa scratched the deputy's arm. Deputies found a shotgun and a 9mm in Espinosa's trunk. The shotgun was reported stolen from the Manatee Sheriff's Office in 1997.
Charges against the suspects -- Demetrick Edwards, Rosa Espinosa, Joel Maldonado and a 17-year-old -- include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting arrest with violence, battery, obstruction and stolen firearms.
