A Florida teenager who triggered a statewide Amber Alert by faking his own abduction has been arrested, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say the 17-year-old staged an elaborate crime scene on Sept. 25 after texting his family that he had been shot, WFLA reports. When deputies arrived, they found the teen's truck with a bullet hole in the windshield, suspected blood, a destroyed cellphone, drag marks, and bicycle tracks leading away from the vehicle. The sheriff's office said the teen told his family he may have been abducted by four Hispanic men in a van, reports WKMG.
Investigators say the teen shot himself in the leg, fired a round through the windshield, and splattered blood inside the truck before fleeing on a bicycle with camping supplies purchased from Walmart. A witness reported seeing him leave the area on a bike. "A vast amount of MCSO resources and personnel, along with numerous other law enforcement agencies, were deployed to search," per a Facebook post from the sheriff's office. He was eventually located in Williston, still in possession of the gun and bicycle, and was found to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound that shattered his femur, requiring medical care.
According to the sheriff's office, the teen tried to maintain the deception even after being found. Detectives say he had previously talked about running away from home, and a search of his laptop revealed he had used ChatGPT to look for information on how to collect blood painlessly as well as details about Mexican cartels. The teen now faces charges including presenting false evidence, shooting into a conveyance, making a false report of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a minor.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
