INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A teenager was arrested for pointing what turned out to be a pellet gun at retired Vero Beach Police Chief Jim Gabbard, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
The initial report notes that Gabbard was driving east on 16th Street near the Charter High School at around 11:45 a.m., when he saw a boy waiting at a GoLine bus stop with what appeared to be a handgun, according to authorities. As Gabbard drove by the bus stop, the boy raised the gun and pointed it at him.
Gabbard followed the bus to the next stop near Indian River State College and boarded it, according to authorities. He approached the boy and asked where the gun was.
The 15-year-old reached into his waistband and Gabbard took the gun from him. It turned out to be a pellet gun, the Sheriff’s Office said. Gabbard notified the communications center and deputies were dispatched.
Deputies were on the scene in about three minutes and arrested the boy for aggravated assault with a firearm, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The boy is being booked into the Indian River County Jail and will likely be transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice this afternoon.
There were no reported injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Due to the boy’s age and the nature of the alleged crime, VeroNews.com is declining to identify the teen.
