VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 13-year-old boy accused of running away from a group home before getting into a shoot-out with Volusia County deputies accepted a plea deal on Wednesday.
As part of the deal, he will be placed in an undisclosed maximum risk commitment program, where he will stay, at most, through the age of 21.
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Channel 9 is not naming or showing the boy due to his age.
The soft-spoken teen occasionally said “Yes” in response as the judge went through to make sure he understood the plea deal, which involved his pleading guilty.
READ: 14-year-old girl injured during deputy-involved shooting in Volusia County
Volusia County Sheriff’s Office body camera video captured the shoot-out between deputies and the boy and a 14-year-old girl last June.
Investigators said the children ran away from an Enterprise group home and broke into a person’s house, where they found a cache of weapons.
READ: Volusia County deputies cleared in shootout with 2 runaway children
Records show the boy had been in foster care and suffers from schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder, resulting in his having undergone a mental health evaluation under the state’s Baker Act in 2016.
The boy’s attorney said it took nine months to get the deal done because the boy was not old enough to get into one of these programs until he turned 13 only a few months ago.
READ: Sheriff: Boy, girl used AK-47, shotgun in shootout with deputies
The case against the girl defendant is still pending. She’s being tried as an adult.
*Warning: The video below contains graphic content*
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