Travis O’Brien, the 13-year-old boy who got into a shootout with Florida police officers last year along with a female friend was sentenced to a juvenile detention center after pleading no contest on Wednesday.
Travis was 12 and his female pal, Nicole Jackson, was 14 when they holed up in a Volusia County apartment and opened fire on deputies in June 2021. According to Wesh TV’s report, Travis and Jackson used a shotgun and an AK-47 to fire shots at police officers.
“He’s a little tiny, little boy and he got into a big mess,” defense attorney Jeff Deen told the station Wednesday. “He wasn’t in control of his situation and he can’t understand some of the things that we understand.”
Travis pleaded no contest to the criminal charges against him and was remanded to a maximum-risk assessment program followed by conditional release. Travis was initially charged with criminal mischief and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
The outlet also reported that Travis’ sentence cannot exceed his 21st birthday. The case against Jackson, now 15, is pending.
On June 1st, 2021, the teenage Bonnie and Clyde broke out of the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home and hopped into an empty apartment in nearby Enterprise.
Deputies responded to a report of the break-in and found themselves under fire by two youngsters who held them at bay for almost an hour.
They’re shooting on me,” one deputy is heard saying on viral video of the incident. “Hold the air. I’m code 4. She’s re-racking a round inside the shotgun!”
“Let’s not engage them anymore,” the dispatcher is heard responding. “Let’s not challenge them.”
In a video released by the Sheriff’s Office, Jackson is heard shrieking after getting hit with return fire.
Both runaways were taken into custody. A local couple sought to adopt Jackson last year.
