Two Arrested for Firing Shots from Pickup Truck in Eagle Lake Incident
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple calls about shots being fired from a pickup truck in Eagle Lake early on Sunday morning, March 16th, around 3:26 a.m. Callers described the truck as a black Ford F-150.
The events unfolded as follows:
The Ford F-150 left a residence in the Eagle Hammock neighborhood, located off Eagle Lake Loop Road. One gunshot was fired into the air.
The truck then stopped at the boat ramp near Lake McCloud, where several additional shots were fired into the lake.
Next, the truck traveled to a RaceTrac gas station at US 17 and State Road 540, located north of Eagle Lake. At the station, the truck’s tires began squealing deliberately. Two members of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office— a Crime Information Center Operator and a Crime Analyst— who were on a meal break at the store, observed the reckless driving and noted the truck’s license plate number, subsequently reporting it.
As the truck left the RaceTrac, another shot was fired from the vehicle, this time into the ground.
The Ford F-150 continued westward and pulled into the Circle K at the intersection of SR 540 and Spirit Lake, where another gunshot was discharged.
Deputies located the truck shortly afterward and conducted a traffic stop at the RaceTrac on SR 540 at Thornhill Rd. The four occupants were detained, with two of them being juveniles. The minors were released to their parents, as they were not charged.
The two adult suspects, identified as 21-year-old Evan Thompson of Bartow and 22-year-old Devon Mailhot of Eagle Lake, were found to be the individuals who fired the shots. Two firearms— a PSA Dagger 9mm and a S&W Shield 9mm— were recovered from the truck. The S&W firearm had been reported stolen in Hernando County in 2023.
Both Evan Thompson and Devon Mailhot were arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and charged with two counts of Discharging a Firearm from a Vehicle within 1000 Feet of a Person (a second-degree felony).
The investigation is ongoing.
