Investigators search for suspect who shot teens, one victim arrested for previous warrant

TAMPA - Authorities are investigating a drug related car shooting that injured a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old boy in a pickup truck.

While police search for the shooting suspect, the 17-year-old victim was arrested on an active warrant for a previous crime, police say.

Officers responded to a report of gunshots near 36th St & Mohawk Ave.

When they arrived, they found an abandoned pickup truck that crashed through the fence in the yard of the vacant residence at

3518 E Mohawk Ave.

There were multiple bullet holes in the vehicle and blood in the cab.

A short time later, an additional call came in from 3628 Mohawk Ave, reporting that a person had been shot. Officers  came in contact with the 17-year-old, who had been shot in the buttocks.

He was taken to Tampa General for treatment for non-life threatening wounds.

Officers also found the 16-year-old at the same home.

An investigation revealed that the teens were driving in the pickup when they became involved in an altercation with an unknown person over drugs.

The suspect then pulled a pistol and fired several shots into the pickup. He also allegedly shot the older teen, who ran from the vehicle after it crashed. The younger teen sustained minor facial injuries during this incident.

The 17-year-old had several local pickups and active arrest warrants for charges that included Armed Robbery with a Firearm. He will be booked on these charges pending his release from the hospital. The 16-year-old, who was listed as a runaway, was released to his mother after treatment.