Sarasota man charged with shooting at ambulance

A 32-year-old Sarasota man has been charged in a January incident in which shots were fired at a Sarasota County Fire Department ambulance, police said.

Tyran Young was arrested Thursday night while already in jail on unrelated charges.

Young faces the following charges:

• Two counts of aggravated assault on a firefighter (felony)
• Shooting into a vehicle (felony)
• Unlawful use of a two-way communication device (felony)
• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (felony)
• Misuse of 911 (misdemeanor)

No injuries were reported in the Jan. 7 incident, though the ambulance was struck at least twice, police said.

“The men and women of the Sarasota Police Department worked diligently and efficiently to find the person responsible for trying to harm one of our fellow first responders,” Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said in a statement.  “This arrest brings closure and justice to first responders who risk their lives every single day to protect our community and society. The person responsible for putting fear into our city is behind bars and justice will now be served.”

Sarasota Police Department officials responded to a call for backup at approximately 4 a.m. on Jan. 7 when the Sarasota County Fire Department reported shots had been fired at an ambulance and its crew. SCFD paramedics were dispatched to an address in the 2900 block of Goodrich Avenue regarding a fallen individual after receiving an automated 911 call for help.

When paramedics arrived, the person at the address said no such call for help was placed. When paramedics returned to their ambulance and closed the door, the vehicle was struck twice by gunfire.

Upon investigation into the case, Young made contact with detectives saying he was an eyewitness to the shooting and had information to share, according to a probable cause affidavit. 

While speaking with the detectives, Young accused a juvenile relative of being the attacker, said Detective Adam Morningstar during a Friday press conference. 

"No evidence was found to corroborate that accusation," Morningstar said. "In providing the information, he sort of told on himself in providing some specific details about the case that no one else could have or should have known." 

Young consented to a search of his shed at 3011 Goodrich Avenue where detectives found a .380 bullet with DNA that matched the samples from the previous case. 

From there, SPD executed a search warrant where they found a black LG smartphone. Upon searching the phone, officers found evidence of a Google search which connected the phone to a text-to-voice message that closely matched the voice message 911 dispatchers received.  

DiPino said first responders may have some closure, but she intends to keep sending officers with the fire department when they are not busy with other calls. 

"There's anxiety throughout anytime something like this happens," said Fire Chief Michael Regnier. "... to not know why exactly something is transpiring — who did this, why, what are all those reasons — is very difficult for the firefighters and paramedics that are out there. 

"It was a lot of work during those two months to quell some of that emotion, and this definitely brings us closure." 

Brynn Mechem contributed to this report.