Teen arrested after firing flare gun at Bradenton soccer field during match, police say
A soccer match at a private school in Bradenton took a dangerous turn on Nov. 21 when a teenager allegedly fired a flare gun onto the field, narrowly missing players, police said.
The 16-year-old, who does not attend the school, is accused of causing over $1,000 in damage to the artificial turf after he was asked to leave the soccer match for disruptive behavior. He was arrested weeks after the incident and now faces felony and misdemeanor charges, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
After being asked to leave the soccer match for disruptive behavior, detectives say the teenager and his friends left school property and returned to a car parked at a nearby restaurant. From the passenger seat, police say the teen fired a flare gun toward the match, burning two holes in the turf and narrowly missing players on the soccer field.
The incident was captured on a video obtained by the Bradenton Police Department. In the video, players can react to the flare as it lands on the field just feet away.
Police say the teen admitted during questioning that he fired the flare, expressed remorse for his actions and later voluntarily turned himself in.
The teenager’s name has not been released to the public.
On Monday, police arrested the teen and charged him with two offenses: criminal mischief causing damage over $1,000, a third-degree felony, and culpable negligence exposing others to harm, a second-degree misdemeanor, according to a news release.
Police say the teen was taken to a juvenile detention center.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 11:01 AM.
