JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Five teenagers were arrested Monday after police showed up at the scene of a burglary in progress at a home on Sarasota Lane, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
When an officer arrived at the house, he spotted a red Toyota and a silver Jeep in the front yard, investigators said.
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Two of the teens were standing in front of a doorway, police said. When an officer approached the pair, they ran inside the home.
The officer followed the teens and saw three more burglars inside, police said. All five of the teens then ran to the back door, where the officer caught 18-year-old Jordan Stepps, according to police.
The officer told other authorities who were en route to the home about the four remaining teens, who had all taken off.
Investigators tracked down the remaining suspects, who were captured in a backyard on Key Biscayne Drive.
A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old had been hiding in a shed. A K-9 officer found Javon Davis, 18, and a 17-year-old in a wooded area off Oaklawn Road, police said.
News4Jax is not releasing the names of the suspects who are younger than 18, because they are minors.
All five teens were taken back to the scene of the burglary, where they were identified as the people the first officer had seen inside the home.
The Toyota and the Jeep were reported stolen, according to police.
Stepps had a gun, which was reported as stolen from a previous burglary at a home on Watershed Drive South, in his backpack, police said. Stepps also faces charges of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and introducing or smuggling contraband into a detention facility. Officials said as Stepps was being searched, an oxycodone pill fell out of his pocket.