TPD: Dog helped young woman escape gunfire outside Tallahassee community center

A young woman who was held up at gunpoint on the basketball court of a Tallahassee community center managed to escape — with the help of her dog — as bullets whizzed past her head.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempted armed robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a delinquent and possession of a firearm by a minor. He is being held in the Leon County Detention Facility on a $10,000 bond.

According to arrest records, the boy was arrested after he tried to rob the female of a gun she had in her pocket. She told police she was playing basketball Feb. 21 with three of her friends at the Walker Ford Community Center on Pasco Street when the defendant and three other young men whipped into the parking lot and parked directly behind her car, blocking her in, according to court records.

The group of males — two of whom were also armed, including the 17-year-old — hopped out of the car and began shooting baskets. Not long after, one of them said "he was tired of playing basketball, then walked over to another suspect and handed him a gun," records say.

The victim thought they were leaving, but instead they "formed a box" around her. One of the males walked back to their car to arm himself with an AR-15 style gun, according to court records.

He stayed near the car with the loaded gun while the other three surrounded the victim on either side and in front of her. One of the males held a gun at her head and ordered her to hand over the handgun that she had stowed away in her pocket.

The victim refused.

"(The arrested 17-year-old), holding his gun by the side of his leg, told the suspect holding the victim at gunpoint to 'Shoot that (expletive)!'" records say. "At that exact moment, the victim's Terrier puppy stood up on its hind legs and placed his paws on the legs of the suspect pointing the gun at the victim."

Seeing her chance, the victim took it and ran while the armed male was distracted by her dog.

"The victim used that opportunity to run and avoid being shot or killed," police say.

The suspect who pointed the gun at the victim's face chased her and fired five or six bullets, which nearly missed her head, according to court records. Once the victim ran far enough away, the suspect stopped running after her and drove away.

Aside from the arrested teen, the report did not list ages for the victim or the suspects involved in the incident. Also unclear is whether any other arrests were made. A Tallahassee Police Department spokesperson did not return phone calls or texts about the incident.

The arrested teen and one of his friends are acquaintances with the victim and one of her friends, and they all routinely hang out at the Leon Arms Apartments on Holton Street, the arrest report says. The report also noted that the victim was someone "whose identity is known to law enforcement."

At the time of his arrest, court records show that the 17-year-old was out on bond for two 2023 charges: possession of a firearm by a delinquent and carrying a concealed firearm. He was on electronic monitoring but his tracking device was "offline" during the alleged robbery.

Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee police: Dog helps victim escape gunfire at Walker Ford