Sometime after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, two boys, 14 and 17, knocked at the door of a resident on Cooper Lane, claiming to be raising money for Matanzas High School. It’s not clear whether the man donated anything. What’s certain is that not long after the boys left, the man’s car, a Subaru Impreza, vanished from his driveway.
After locating the vehicle within two hours on I-95, Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies followed the Subaru for a while, lights and sirens going. It took a while for the vehicle to pull over. When it finally did, deputies pulled their weapons and stood behind their patrol cars’ doors, a video issued by the sheriff’s office shows, and ordered the occupants out at gunpoint.
Four children, the youngest 12, the oldest 17, and including the 15-year-old girl who drove, all emerged from the car, were arrested, and each charged with felony grand theft. (The Sheriff’s Office identified them all by name in a release. They will be referred to here only by their first names–Osaze, Danielle, Tyler and Ashton. Danielle and Ashton are siblings who live in the C-Section. Tyler lives in the F-Section, Osaze in the L Section.)
Osaze would later tell deputies that the three others had picked him up even though the alleged victim identified Osaze as one of the two boys who’d knocked and solicited at his door. He said Ashton–the youngest–stole the car and Danielle drove. Ashton corroborated the claim. Tyler claimed the others had picked him up at the beach. But Tyler, too, was identified as one of the two who’d knocked. (The car owner had left his Subaru unlocked, and his keys in the car.)
Deputies were alerted ostensibly by a license plate reader to the car getting on I-95, and were pulled over around mile marker 282.
Danielle was first to step out, her arms raised. “Let’s go, back to the sound of my voice,” a deputy orders her, quickly holstering her weapon as the 15-year-old girl walked toward her. Clearly, the deputy did not see the girl as a major threat. Suspects are usually made to walk backward, very slowly, but in this case Danielle, who is of a light complexion, walked briskly toward the deputy. She was immediately handcuffed as she stood upright.
It’s a starkly different story for a darker-skinned boy, who is ordered by a male deputy to step out of the car, “face away from us, get in the grass, step to your right, keep going, keep going, turn around away from us.” In the body cam footage, two deputies are pointing guns at him as one of them order him to lift his shirt, turn around and “do a 360,” then walk back to the sound of the deputy’s voice, backward. He’s then ordered on his knees before a deputy handcuffs him. He tells the deputies he has nothing on him, but that “there are two kids” in the car, scared.
One of them is ordered out more quickly, almost as Danielle was–and speaks the unfailing anthem of teens: “My phone is my car, can you get my phone?”
“You know damn well it ain’t going to happen right now,” the deputy tells him as he is cuffing him. “Any weapons in there?” No, the boy tells him, and again says: “My phone’s in there.” (All cell phones located within the stolen vehicle were submitted to evidence.)
The last boy in the car was the 12 year old. He’s ordered out and allowed to walk, his hands up, facing the deputies.
“Do you want to know how old I am?” Danielle had asked a deputy.
“How old are you?”
“15.”
“Why were you driving?” the deputy asks her. Danielle, surly, mumbles something like “I don’t know” and actually seems put out.
Ashton was additionally charged with possession of burglary tools.
“This was a crime of opportunity but they found out quickly that stealing a car for joy-riding only gets you quickly arrested,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “This is not the way to start your summer vacation. Parents, I’m asking you to be the Sheriff of your home and know where your kids are and what they are doing. The age of these offenders is shocking and I hope these kids take this situation seriously and learn their actions have consequences. I’m also reminding the community to not leave your keys in your car.”
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Sad for these kids says
I personally know one these kids because they battered my child on the school bus when they were about 7. They got kicked off the bus for a few weeks and then parents fought to have them back on. Total menace and bully on the bus for years and parents didn’t care. Predicted this path, sadly, and did wish for better. Look alive, parents, you are raising criminals.
BILL LYNCH says
I’M THE CHAP ON COOPER WHO HAD JUST TAKEN ONE OF MY VEHICLES, A NEW SUBARU OUT OF THE GARAGE FOR AN OIL CHANGE, AND LEFT THE IGNITION KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, WENT INTO THE HOUSE TO GET THE DOG AND THE DOORBELL RANG WITH TWO KIDS LOOKING FOR “SCHOOL DONATION”. GAVE THEM NOTHING. MEETING LASTED LESS THAN 2 MINUTES WENT OUTSIDE ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER…CAR WAS GONE, CALLED 911. AGENT CAME ABOUT 1/2 HOUR LATER AND AS WE TALKED HIS PHONE RANG AND HE WAS TOLD CAR WAS JUST ID’D BY SCANNING CPU ON SHERIFF VEHICLE, OR A SCANNER ON HIGHWAY 95 SOUTH. WE JUMPED INTO HIS CAR AND RACED TO THE SCENE, PARKED AND COPS PARADED THE HANDCUFFED KIDS IN FRONT OF THE POLICE CAR I SAT IN AND I ID’D THE LAST TWO AS THE 2 THAT HAD COME TO MY FRONT DOORWAY. OFFICERS PRESUMED THEY STOLE THE CAR. 1/2 HOUR LATER THEY GAVE ME THE KEYS AFTER I FOUND 2 CELLPHONES IN THE GRASS NEXT TO THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR, AND I THANKD THEM ALL FOR THEIR SPEEDY DISCOVERY EXECUTION AND DROVE HOME. CAR WAS NOT DAMAGED, AT LEAST ON THE EXTERIOR, AND UNDERBODY HAS NOT BEEN EXAMINED YET. I WILL HAVE IT INSPECTED. SHERIFF’S DEP’T DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. OWNER.
Richard Smith says
Didn’t take long being out of school to commit a felony. I’m sure there parents are proud of them…
Joanne Turcotte says
What the heck have the so called parents been teaching their kids. Learn how to raise your children better.
Shelly says
They must have made their parents real proud. Lock them up
Dean Gallberry III says
Well, at least they boosted a Subaru. Safety first, kids. I’m sure the parents are so proud!
Jimbo99 says
Process them for grand theft auto, no plea deals and get the ball rolling on their life in & out of prison. I don’t want these children polluting the schools that my tax dollars pay for. I refuse to entertain building more schools for Alfin’s grand vision of Palm Coast. I am so done with this bs/nonsense. No more protests, get your HS diploma, you’ll have an opinion when you graduate HS, turn 18 and are able to vote, just like the rest of us.
The dude says
“GET OFF MY LAWN” says the exact same thing in fewer characters.
Mark1 says
The cops are pulling weapons on our children.
C’mon man says
@Mark. Your children are committing felony crimes. They are not acting as a child.Try raising your children better
Connie says
Children are killing people. Do you watch the school shootings?
Fed Up says
Your children in this case are criminals. Duh
Rissa says
Do you think “our children” can not have guns? Didn’t we just have kid shoot up a school? Do you research- look at how many “children” under 18 that have been arrested and were carrying a gun or for that matter have shot at police. Police have a procedure to follow and the minute it is not followed- people look for all types of grievances. These police had no way to determine if there was a gun involved prior to each arrest.
Bill Mann says
So? Don’t do the crime if ya can’t do the time!
Richard Smith says
And your point is. Remember these kids are our future. Were doom….
Feddy says
Yes they are and I have no problem with that. Kids want to play grown up games think they are thugs out there so treat them like one. Look at the news and see how many shooting are committed by minors, these police do not know if they are armed.
Jk says
Our children in many instances have weapons..shoot and kill people also.
Jack Crego says
Yes, cops do pull guns on kids when they commit a serious crime. Read the papers, kids know how to shoot guns and kill also. It is not nice to say but it is true. Try thinking about the cops lives , they matter also or have you forgot that part. Try being in their shoes for one or two days and then maybe you will have a different out look on things. Too many people blame the cops for doing their job and make heros out of the criminals.
Rich k says
And so what!
Rob says
I don’t have a problem with that, considering they don’t know if the felons are armed
Twilights last Gleaming says
Cops pull their weapons on EVERYONE no matter what age. I saw one draw his weapon on a 7 year old who took candy from Walmart…… Their real good at looking BAD ASS in their bullett proof vest and AR-15’s when there’s a standoff with GrandPa over at the Old Folk home. But their WORTHLESS when it comes to SAVING INNOCENT CHILDREN in a school from ONE LONE KID with an AR-15……. Takes a REAL Law Officer from the Border Patrol to do the job…… Why even bother paying these losers ?
Concerned Citizen says
Many of these kids HAVE weapons…J/S
Jennyds says
Are you serious right now. These damn kids stole a car and were joyriding like it was nothing and your concern is the cops did their job. Noone knew what these delinquents were capable of nor did the cops know the ages of them when they pulled them over. How about you take them and raise them and teach them right from wrong and then let’s talk about this when they are abiding the laws like normal children. What needs to happens is there parents need to give them a good old whooping and teach them how to act and that you don’t steal shit. Hopefully this scared them enough they are going to choose a different path.
Mom2 says
Are you serious? This comment is what you come up with? What if I’m addition to leaving his vehicle unsecured, the old man would have left a weapon in the car? Would it have been acceptable for the kids to shoot a police officer? Make adult decisions, get adult consequences.
ByTheSeaBob says
Really, that’s what you get from this story?
Mikem says
Children are being raised like animals and even children can get a gun illegally. Also the cops don’t know they are children until they do. Prosecute the parents for raising thugs.
... says
Not all the children. Just the ones that steal cars and break the law.
Exit 81 says
A stolen car, driven by a 15 year old, can be a very dangerous weapon. Maybe, because of their age, the police should have used lollipops to entice them out of the car.
Skibum says
Correction… the cops are pulling weapons during a felony traffic stop on a stolen vehicle with 4 unknown occupants inside. And so, that’s a bad thing? I say, whatever their age, if they don’t want to have cops pull their weapons on them, DON’T commit a felony, stealing a car and then not stopping for all of the lights and sirens behind them for awhile. If you coddle them at that age after they have committed a felony, then the only thing you are teaching them is crime is fun, the punishment is not bad, hey, lets go out and do some more. Well, that’s not the message we should be reinforcing if the intent is to discourage teens from criminal acts. So thank you Flagler County sheriff’s deputies for pulling your guns on these thieves and arresting them. Now, let’s hope the criminal justice system takes them as seriously as you all did and pounds some sense into them by giving some appropriate punishment to them.
Stop Making Sense says
Be more precise in your statement. The cops are pulling weapons on our criminals.
Morgan Monaco says
Police are applying rules, nothimg wrong & they have to protect themself. Police are here to protect against that kind of vermine.
FlaglerBear says
When police stop a stolen vehicle, they have no clue who is in that car, whether or not there are weapons, how old the occupants are, what they have done, or what they are capable of. Juveniles can and have killed police officers. Just in the past couple of years, a teenage girl tried to shoot a Volusia County Deputy with a gun she stole from a home she was burglarizing. She was shot herself. Cops aren’t required to take chances with pimply faced felons anymore than they are with hard core street thugs.
BILL (>) says
CHILDREN ARE CAPABLE OF MAJOR CRIMES, ABEIT RARELY, BUT AT THE LEVEL OF THIS GRAND THEFT AND SPEEDING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WITH A CAR FULL OF “CHILDREN” DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE PLACING MANY DRIVERS IN A POTENTIALLY DEATHLY DANGER, WHY WOULDN’T THEY DRAW THEIR WEAPONS. THEY DID NOT FIRE THEIR WEAPONS, BUT THE THIEF’S OR THIEVES BEHAVIOR MAY HAVE RESULTED IN MULTIPLE DEATHS OR WORSE. THE INITIAL REACTION TO THIS OVERALL EVENT ASKS THE MAJOR QUESTION: ARE THE PARENTS OF THESE CHILDREN RAISING THEIR CHILDREN WITH THE CORRECT MORAL MESSAGES FRAMED WITH CONSEQUENCES GOOD AND BAD? OR DO THEY NOT DESERVE TO RAISE CHILDREN PERIOD!!!!
J says
I was saying the same thing
Kg13 says
“Your children” stole a freaking car
SMH
oldtimer says
If they are your children, teach them not to steal cars
John L says
They are pulling weapons on felons.
Carol says
The cops are doing their job the way they were trained to do them. The cop doesn’t know if there is an adult in the car instructing the ‘children’ to do this, C’mon Mark1, you need to think with your head, not pity the ‘children’!! Go after the parents that ‘RAISED’ these ‘children’!!!
Dennis C Rathsam says
Why do people have kids if they dont want them? I blame the parents intirely. Thier parenting skills are toilet material. When I was that age, my friends & I would never ever think about doing this. Back in the day the cops would kick your ass, then give you back to the parents.Then your father kicked your ass again. Today,s children have no morals, no goals, they all need to find god. I,ll bet if these kids went to church, with thier so called parents, learning what we all learned many many years ago, this would not have happened.Sanity has escaped the young generation.D
Am says
Palm coast parents too busy day drinking to spend time raising kids right..we see you
Bill Mann says
We need laws to make parents responsible for minors, charge the parents with same crimes, spend $40 billion here on family planning and guidance not in some corruptly run nation.
TIRED OF EXCUSES says
Markie1 kids are pulling guns on adults. They dont know who is in that car or what they have. If they are gonna act like a criminal be treated like one. Fair and square.
Feddy says
Charge the parents, parrnt or care giver as accessory to the crimes these juveniles commit and I bet you will see them getting more involved in their kids lives.
Cheryl says
This comment is for Mark 1!
Are you really serious with your remark? First off, these kids stole a vehicle! Second of all, who knows what else they may be carrying. Law Enforcement were doing their job!
Jonathan says
They will be in prison before the get out of high school. Guess their parents are too busy to teach them right from wrong. They sure won’t be upstanding citizens of Flagler County.
Skibum says
I am constantly surprised, no – shocked actually, at the number of people who make it so easy for criminals to victimize them. Most thieves are lazy and will steal in the easiest way possible. That is why they are thieves – they would rather do the easiest thing possible for enjoyment or to make money instead of putting the work and effort into something more legitimate. In the case of these young criminals, the victim might as well have put a huge red flag in his yard with the words “STEAL FROM ME!” and I would go so far as to suggest the person whose car was stolen was no crime victim but rather a crime volunteer. I can’t recall how many times I read in the news where people have their unlocked cars stolen from their own driveway, or items, including firearms, wallets, purses, etc. stolen from inside unlocked cars as if nobody would dare do such a thing when the opposite is true. Despite many pleas from the sheriff’s office to lock your vehicles and remove valuable items from them, some people just don’t learn and need to become crime volunteers for thieves who roam around our neighborhoods looking for idiots who are easy pickings. Sad to say, but true. Please DON’T be a crime volunteer!
Mary Fusco says
Skibum, here’s the real deal. I, as a tax paying, honest citizen and homeowner, should be able to leave anything I want to in my unlocked car. These POS criminals, whether they are 15 or 50 are trespassing on MY property. If parents monitored their criminal street urchins instead of letting them run like mad dogs, it would be a good start. When I moved to PC 22 years ago this BS did not exist. Now homeowners are so proud of how many cameras, alarms, lights, etc. that they have. Nothing to be proud of. This place is going to hell in a hand basket. This man did NOTHING wrong. He went back inside to get his dog, answered the bell which was rang by these criminals in training canvassing the neighborhood. The idiots are the POS that will eventually be spending the life in jail.
Skibum says
We all would be well advised to take COMMON SENSE precautions to prevent crime from happening to us. But if you don’t want to, then by all means go ahead, you tax paying, honest citizen, and leave whatever you like in your unlocked car. While you’re at it, don’t ever lock your house doors either, that way, it will save the next previously convicted felon from damaging or breaking your door when they enter your property to steal you blind. I hope you don’t take the common sense precaution of safeguarding your money in banks either, because, as you profess, your home is your castle and you should be able to keep whatever you like anywhere you like. So go ahead and store your money under your mattress, leave the deed to your home on the dining room table, leave the title to your car, your keys, your checkbook, your wallet or purse IN the car, because, well, because you CAN and it’s your damn right on your own property. Then see what your tax paying, honest citizen and homeowner no common sense logic gets you in today’s society where criminals will take advantage of those who give them an opportunity to do so. It is people like the well intentioned but misinformed residents like the guy in this article and others who make it EASIER for criminals to victimize people, and HARDER for law enforcement to do their jobs. But good luck to you with your way of thinking.
Duane says
For the idiot that thinks cops are pulling weapons on our children, take a step back and think about this. All the cop knows is that there are four people in a stolen car. Does not know their age, race, sexual orientation or anything else you think they might know but don’t.
S. Peters says
It’s bad enough leaving you car unlocked, WTH were you thinking leaving the keys in there? I just don’t understand people anymore.
ASF says
It seems to me that the most critical issue here is a lack of adult support and guidance for the children involved in these criminal activities.
unknown_22 says
…so we’re just gonna act like the police didn’t accost the “darker-skinned” kid?? Evidently he was of color. a damn shame
A.j says
These kids need to learn, stealing isn’t good. Hope their punishment will teach them a lesson they will never forget.
John says
These kids these days Im startin to see around here were 2 or 3 but now theyre all little punks. Acting a fool in the neighborhoods. Crappy parents in their 30s. Garbage. And new comers bring their trash. Or its the ultra altrusitic grand folks from a better generation bringing their trash here from some lost generation. The kids today are garbage. If you ARE the child of a boomer over 40 you know parents with way better skills than most today. I’ve raised 2 that are succesful adults and a 3rd who is just a toddler getting started. Your children are a reflection of YOU. They are encoded with YOUR DNA and are a product of YOUR ability to mentor, mold, and shape a being capable of anything you cognizantly and consciously imbue.
Deborah Coffey says
Um, shouldn’t their parents be held responsible in some way, too?
Mark says
Deputies were assessing each individual threat and should be seen as such. Guns were drawn on all individuals and each was treated as such. Let’s stop with the race-baiting and see it for what it was: Four criminals stole a car and were arrested!
A.j says
I read comments about patents raising their children. My grandparents ❤ raised me and my siblings. They did a great job. One day my uncle, brother, and I stole from a store, being kids we stole cookies. My granddad was made aware of it. Need I say he kept us out of trouble until now, we are in our 60s now. Now I thank GOD, he used the rod on our buts. I was about 6 years old, him whipping me probably saved my life. Using the rod hurts at that time but it will probably save lives later. It did fir me. I taught my children about wrong and right. They don’t know how a jail look inside, except from watching movies.