Backpack sale in Lehigh Acres turns into armed robbery, shots fired

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — New details are emerging after a large law enforcement response in Lehigh Acres that we first brought you Thursday night.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, what started as a simple backpack sale quickly turned into a violent armed robbery.

Deputies say the victim arranged to meet someone near 43rd Street West and Sunshine Boulevard North to sell a backpack. But instead, investigators say a masked suspect got into the victim’s car and pulled a gun, demanding his belongings.

Authorities say a second vehicle then pulled up, and multiple suspects jumped in, taking the victim’s wallet, identification, and two backpacks.

As the suspects drove away, deputies say one of them leaned out of the vehicle and fired three shots near 31st Street West. The victim was not injured.

Neighbors nearby say they were shaken by the scene that followed.

“I came home and they had crime scene tape up everywhere,” said Sally Foster, who lives just steps from where deputies say the shots were fired. “That could have been my house. That’s so scary.”

Foster says she had just stepped out to the grocery store and believes if she had returned any earlier, she could have been caught in the middle of it.

Deputies say the victim was able to follow the suspects long enough to provide a license plate to 911. From there, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit located the suspect vehicle.

On the ground, deputies used a grappler device to stop the SUV near Orange River Boulevard and Ellis Road in Fort Myers.

Investigators say inside the vehicle, they found the victim’s stolen property along with additional evidence linking the suspects to the crime.

Four suspects — all teens — were taken into custody.

Three are facing charges of robbery with a firearm, while the driver is charged as an accessory after the fact.