3 kids arrested after flare guns fired off Florida bridge set yacht on fire
BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A teenager and two other children were arrested Tuesday after police said they fired flare guns off the Green Bridge in Bradenton, Florida, setting a yacht on fire.
The Bradenton Police Department said a 911 caller reported that a boat was on fire at the Twin Dolphin Marina and that he watched several children fire something off the bridge moments before the blaze.
The Bradenton Fire Department put out the fire, which significantly damaged a 45-foot yacht.
CCTV video from the city of Bradenton cameras on the Riverwalk appeared to show three kids with flare guns shortly before and after the fire started, detectives said.
(Bradenton Police Department)
Three children, ages 14, 12 and 11, were positively identified and questioned with their parents' cooperation, police said.
The 14-year-old was charged with first-degree arson, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a minor and discharging a firearm in public.
The 12-year-old and the 11-year-old were charged with possession of a firearm by a minor and discharging a firearm in public.
They were all taken to the Manatee Juvenile Detention Center.