3 teens accused of drive-by pellet gun shooting spree

Reporter: Asha Patel Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:

A trio of teens are facing several charges after being accused of terrorizing bystanders at shopping centers with pellet guns.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to arrest all three teenagers: 17-year-old Aiden Lazareanu, 19-year-old Simon Lazareanu, and 17-year-old Joesph Cociuba.

The first incident in the Saturday spree happened at around 5 p.m., outside the Bass Pro shops in Gulf Coast Town Center, where two women and two children were hit.

The teens then drove 15 minutes away to the Coconut Point Mall, where two more people were hit at the Momma Anna restaurant.

Several other bystanders were also hit at this location but did not want to give deputies statements.

Police were able to arrest all three teenagers at the Coconut Point Mall and found the air-soft guns in plain view on a car seat.

WINK News spoke to Logan Bar, a customer who just bought two BB guns from Bass Pro Shops and said he was shocked by how irresponsible those teens were.

“Stay safe out there, kids,” he said. “These are not a toy. Even though they are with the orange. It’s still illegal to have these out in public and where people can see you especially. Just be safe with yourselves.”

According to the arrest report from Lee County Sheriff’s office, the car the teens were driving matched the exact description of a car involved in other recent burglaries.

Now that car is pending a search warrant and all three face charges involving rioting and battery.

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