A South Fort Worth, Texas, neighborhood is safe after police arrested five teens alleged to recklessly fired guns at homes, resulting in terrifying 911 calls reporting bullets “passing by their heads,” CBS News reports.
Darius Chandler and Izac Villarreal, both 19, and Alfredo Jimenez, Draylon Williams, and Donavan Wright, all 18, face multiple charges, including two counts of deadly conduct and one count of discharging a firearm in certain municipalities. The boys also face individual charges, such as one count each of unlawfully carrying a weapon for Chandler, Jimenez, and Williams. Jimenez with one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and Wright and Villarreal, who faced one count of possession of marijuana.
The chaos erupted Feb. 8 when officers of the Fort Worth Police Department responded to multiple reports of people recklessly shooting firearms. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, based on clear surveillance footage from the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), officers were able to track the teens down using the license plate number of the suspects’ vehicle.
After conducting a “high-risk traffic stop,” all
five boys were arrested and had multiple guns seized. However, the arrest didn’t go smoothly. While one of the suspects tried to conceal his weapon by taking it out of his waistband and hiding it under the car seat, police also found marijuana inside a backpack. In a press release, the Fort Worth Department said, “officers determined that all five individuals were shooting in the direction of occupied houses beyond the fence line, demonstrating a reckless disregard for human life.”As surveillance footage and mugshots began circulating on social media, comments followed. On
Instagram, the boys were labeled as men due to their appearance. Teens? They look well over 35,” @keemkarterr said on IG, while another said, “they look like they graduated high school 10 years ago.”User @meleliz__ suggested they be shipped off to the military because of their youthful age. Another Instagram user blamed their looks on staying indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Maybe it’s true what they say about the younger ones ..staying in the house too much is aging them .. dem Covid kids,” @eva_rhymes said.
Chandler, Williams, Villarreal, and Wright have bonded out of the Tarrant County Jail while Jimenez remains behind bars on a $26,500 bond.
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