FLORIDA — Two Seminole County teenagers have been charged after authorities said they drove around the county and fired gel beads at random people using Orbeez-style gel blasters.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the Winter Springs Police Department, the first reported incident occurred May 18 when a woman and her husband were walking along Red Bug Lake Road near Dovera Drive. The woman told investigators she was struck in the back and arm and saw a green vehicle leaving the area, with someone inside appearing to laugh.
A second incident was reported May 20 when a woman walking along State Road 434 in Winter Springs between Bennett and Charles streets said she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and believed she had been struck multiple times.
Investigators traced a suspected vehicle to Winter Springs High School and conducted a traffic stop at the end of the school day. Authorities said they found an Orbeez X Shot Gel Blaster 700 and several gel bead projectiles in the vehicle driven by a 16-year-old.
Detectives later interviewed 18-year-old Bryant Otero Villeges and found a similar gel blaster in his room.
According to arrest reports, both teenagers admitted to firing the gel blasters at random people during the incidents. Each was charged with one count of battery.
The two turned themselves in to the Winter Springs Police Department on May 27. The 16-year-old was booked into the Seminole County Juvenile Assessment Center, while Villeges was booked into the Seminole County Jail.
The investigation was conducted by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Winter Springs Police Department.
