Foster Children Break Into Home, Use Stolen Guns to Open Fire on Police Officers

Two foster children ages 12 and 14 in Florida broke into a home and used stolen guns to fire at police officers.

According to a press release from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, police were first notified that the children had ran away Tuesday from the Florida United Methodist Children's Home, located at 51 Children's Way in Enterprise, at around 5 p.m., local time.

Police said that they were informed the 12-year-old boy is a diabetic and did not have his medication on him, while they also were notified that the 14-year-old girl hit a Florida United Methodist Children's Home staff member with a stick.

At around 7:30 p.m., deputies were searching the area when a "passerby witness reported hearing glass break at 1050 Enterprise Osteen Road." Police then approached the home and noticed two figures inside the house.

"They contacted the homeowner, who told them no one should be home, and that there was a handgun, a shotgun and an AK-47 inside, along with a large amount of ammunition," police said in the press release.

After speaking with the homeowner, deputies gathered around the home and called out to the children inside the house. The two children then started shooting at police, with the girl firing the first shot from the home's back patio door at around 8:30 p.m.

According to police, over the next 35 minutes, the two children fired at police on four separate occasions, "before [the girl] came out of the garage, pointed the shotgun at deputies twice, and was shot and wounded."

"After [the girl] was shot, deputies moved in to provide life-saving aid. [The boy], who was in the garage armed with the AK-47, surrendered without firing another shot," police said.

The 14-year-old was eventually transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to authorities. She was transferred to another hospital for further treatment in stable condition after surgery.

The 12-year-old boy was also transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital to be treated for diabetes and not due to injuries sustained during the incident.

During a press conference, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that the incident was "something I've never seen in 35 years in policing."

"Deputies did everything they could tonight to de-escalate, and they almost lost their lives to a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old," Chitwood said. "If it wasn't for their training and their supervision...somebody would have ended up dead."

Newsweek reached out to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office for further comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.