DANIA BEACH, Fla. – Four teenagers were arrested Thursday morning at a Motel 6 in Dania Beach after a SWAT situation, Broward County sheriff's deputies said.
According to a detective at the scene, the teens broke into an off-duty deputy's car in Davie while she was pumping gas, where they stole a badge, gun and a cell phone.
Davie police spokesman Mark Leone said Deputy Sylviane Wernath was at the Shell gas station at 14810 Griffin Road when a silver Chevrolet HHR pulled up next to her car.
Leone said one of the suspects opened the victim's door and stole her purse.
Investigators said they used the phone to track the teens to the motel near East Dania Beach Boulevard.
Leone said one of the suspect's used his real name to check into the motel, and it was discovered that he had two felony warrants for aggravated assault with a firearm.
The Broward Sheriff's Office SWAT team was called to the motel and convinced the group to surrender.
"They were telling them to come out, yelling who it was, saying they weren't going to wait any longer," a witness said.
Deputies surrounded the second-floor room, knocked out a window and used tear gas to force the suspects out of the room.
"I just heard a lot of noise, the dogs, the police telling them to come out," the witness said. "I heard them bust open the door and the people screaming."
Leone said three firearms were recovered from the scene, including the deputy's gun. Another gun was stolen out of the city of Hollywood and police are still working to identify the third gun, Leone said.
Numerous credit cards, phones, purses, and IDs that did not belong to the suspects were also found in the room, Leone said.
Leone said the suspects tried to hide the stolen goods, even stashing some items behind a bathroom light fixture.
"The stolen BSO credentials were recovered in the toilet where the suspects attempted to flush them down," Leone said.
Police have also recovered a vehicle used by the suspects, but have not yet executed a search warrant.
Leone said two men and two boys were arrested. Their identities have not been released.