Oviedo robbery attempt leads to crash, four arrests in Live Oak Reserve

A silver Toyota slammed into a tree on a residential street in Live Oak Reserve, turning an attempted armed robbery into a crash, a gun search and four arrests. Around 1:13 p.m. on June 20, a 17-year-old approached the driver’s-side window of a car driven by a 16-year-old with a firearm hidden in a backpack.

A struggle broke out over the gun and the driver accelerated while the 17-year-old was still hanging on to the vehicle. The Toyota hit a tree at a nearby home, leaving skid marks and damaged wood behind. One person was hurt by the vehicle, not by gunfire, even though the first emergency calls mentioned shots fired in the neighborhood. One resident later mistook the noise for fireworks.

After the crash, the driver and a passenger ran from the scene. The passenger told investigators he heard a gunshot while fleeing and later saw the two suspects at the end of the street. The teens then returned to the 17-year-old’s home, where he changed clothes and put the firearm back in his backpack.

The teens later met Darren Salazar, 20, near The Riverside Market off County Road 419 and handed him the gun so he could dispose of it. Salazar had been wanted for attempted murder in New Jersey when he was previously arrested in Seminole County, and he was later booked into the Seminole County jail before being transferred to Orange County.

The 17-year-old faces armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, tampering with evidence and providing false information to law enforcement during a felony investigation. The 15-year-old was charged with accessory after the fact to a first-degree felony and providing false information to law enforcement. The 16-year-old driver was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription after officers found a tan extended firearm magazine and multiple THC cartridges during an inventory search of the car.