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Four arrested after report of gun puts three Tampa schools on lockdown

 
Tampa Bay Times
Published June 7, 2012

TAMPA — Four teenagers were arrested Wednesday morning, accused of pointing a gun at students waiting at two east Tampa bus stops.

Shortly before 7 a.m., at least 13 Armwood High students were at the two bus stops — off 43rd and 42nd streets — when a black Ford F-250 pickup pulled up nearby with four young men inside, Tampa police said.

One of the men pulled out a gun, and the truck drove away, police said.

A student at the bus stop called 911 and gave the officers a description of the truck and the name of one of the men inside, said police spokeswoman Andrea Davis.

Officers in the area were alerted, and Officer Bryan Perry saw a truck matching the description in east Tampa. The truck sped away before Perry could turn on his lights and sirens.

Officers soon found the truck crashed and rolled over at 39th Street and Louisiana Avenue, police said.

Four men in the truck attempted to run from the scene, Davis said, but officers caught two immediately. A third was found a short time later, and a fourth suspect was found at an apartment complex nearby.

The men, police say, are: Akanfi Pratt, 18, Mike Rivera, 19, Chris Thomas, 19 and Devin Sampson, 17. All are from Tampa.

Each teen has been charged with resisting arrest. Police say Sampson was the one who pulled the gun, and he also faces 13 counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Thomas was the driver, police say, and he also faces charges of aggravated assault and fleeing to elude.

Investigators recovered a gun at the crash scene, police say.

Sampson suffered a cut to his head, but no one sustained serious injuries.

Nearby Williams Middle School, Gary Adult Education Center and James Elementary School were placed on modified lockdown after the incident. The lockdowns were lifted later in the morning.

Officers took the teens into custody and spent the morning interviewing the victims at Armwood High.

Authorities are trying to figure out the motive and the relationship between the suspects and the victims.

Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at jvandervelde@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3433.