SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. – A teenager who was shot and a man who was carjacked both were planning to meet up with a female from a social media app when their assailants struck, according to the South Daytona Police Department.
The first incident was reported around midnight Thursday. A 17-year-old boy and a 27-year-old man were in a 2016 Ford F150 on their way to meet a female the teen had been talking to, according to a news release.
The pair was stopped at a red light on South Ridgewood Avenue when a man got into the truck, pointed a small gun with a laser pointer at the driver and told the victims to get out, police said. The teen was shot in the stomach as he was trying to wrestle the gun away from the man.
The man ran out of the truck and the driver took the victim to Halifax Medical Center.
The bullet went through the teen's stomach, liver and large intestines. He required surgery and is still recovering.
The second incident was reported at 12:30 a.m. Friday. The victim said he met a female he had been talking to on the MeetMe app at a gas station on South Ridgewood Avenue and Big Tree Road.
The victim was in his car talking to the female, who uses the name Shammai Taylor on the app, when they decided to move to James Street Park. As the two were in the back seat, four men knocked on car window to ask for a lighter, the news release said.
One of the men pointed a small gun with a laser pointer at the driver and said, "Give me your car or I will shoot you and do not look at anyone," according to police.
The men took the victim's white four-door 2001 Nissan. The female left willingly with the four men, the release said.
The victim's car has not been found and no suspects have been identified.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call the South Daytona Police Department at 386-322-3041 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.