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Brothers accused of driving around Polk County in stolen truck, shooting at vehicles

Deputies said one of the vehicles they shot at was occupied by a woman and her three children who are ages 6, 5, and 1 years old.
These are two of the vehicles that were struck by gunfire in Polk County.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Two brothers are facing six counts of attempted murder with a firearm charges after deputies say they took quite a ride in Polk County Friday night.

Shawn Whitten, 25, and his brother Brett Crosby, 19, were driving around in a stolen truck, shooting at other vehicles, Polk County Sheriff’s Office officials said.

According to affidavits, Whitten was driving south in a stolen Toyota Tacoma south on Spirit Lake Road approaching 4th Street JPV in unincorporated Winter Haven, with Crosby in the passenger seat. The truck had been reported stolen Friday morning.

As they approached the intersection about 7:22 p.m., Crosby fired at an eastbound 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, deputies said. The rear driver's side window was struck but the vehicle's occupants were not injured.

Then about 7:36 p.m., the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed west on K-Ville Avenue when Crosby fired at a Honda Accord, which was occupied by a woman and her three children who are 6, 5, and 1 years old. The projectile hit the rear window, shattering it. The vehicle's occupants were not struck.

As the truck continued down K-Ville Avenue, Crosby fired at a Chevy Equinox near the entrance to Anchor House, deputies said. The projectile went into the driver's side window, but the driver was not struck.

At 7:42 p.m., deputies received a call about a black pickup crashing at East Carroll Road and Palmer Road and the occupants fleeing. K-9 patrols were brought out, and a resident told them two men were fighting at a house on Palmer Road.

Deputies went to the house, where they immediately found Whitten fighting another man. They took Whitten into custody.

They entered the house and found Crosby under a blanket and unresponsive. He was treated by medics and taken to a local hospital. He was taken to jail after being released from the hospital.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Crosby appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

He called the two men "worse than thugs" and said they were given "break after break after break" in the legal system, but threw those chances away.

"Thanks to our cooperation with the Auburndale Police Department, a tight perimeter and people who saw something, and immediately said something, we took these brazen brothers into custody before they killed someone. It is a miracle nobody was shot,” Judd said.

These are two of the vehicles that were struck by gunfire in Polk County.

Whitten has been charged with grand theft auto, violation of probation - grand theft auto; battery, six counts of attempted murder and two counts of possession of a firearm.

The sheriff's office says Whitten has been in county jail eight times and served two terms in state prison, once for giving false information to a law enforcement officer and violating probation, and once for fraud, grand theft and drug possession.

Judd said one of the jail terms was connected to the beating death of a homeless person, though he was not the primary aggressor.

Crosby is being charged with six counts of attempted armed murder and discharging a firearm.

Both men are being held without bail.

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