ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 19-year-old man accused of kidnapping his girlfriend and shooting at deputies is recovering after being shot in the leg by law enforcement, stated Orange County Sheriff John Mina.

  • Deputies release the name of man: Bryce Theygan Weir
  • No deputies were injured in the shooting
  • Weir is facing aggravated assault, armed kidnapping charges

During a news conference on Monday morning, Mina said that Bryce Theygan Weir, who has not been named, forced his girlfriend by gunpoint to drive him to 7-Eleven at North Econlockhatchee Trail in Orlando, between East Colonial Drive and State Road 417.

Once she drove him there, she was able to get away and call 911 as he ran away, Mina said.

Orange County Sheriff's Office deputies encountered him and using a "Glock handgun with a high-capacity magazine," Weir fired at law enforcement, Mina said.

Deputies returned fire and shot at Weir once in the leg, he continued, adding that after a short manhunt after the shooting, the man was caught and was taken to a local hospital. Later in the day, the Sheriff's Office stated that Weir is in stable condition.

"I'm so glad we were able to take him into custody and get this dangerous person off the street," Mina said.

It is not understood why Weir wanted to be at the 7-Eleven, he said.

The 20-year-old girlfriend was not hurt and deputies were not injured by his shooting, however, one deputy was bitten by a K9 and has minor injuries, stated Mina.  

Currently, Weir is facing the following charges: Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and armed kidnapping.

During the news conference, Mina also said Weir could also be facing: attempted murder of law enforcement and false imprisonment.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be investigating the shooting, which is standard practice.

While he admitted he did not have a lot of information about that incident, Mina said he was puzzled why Weir was able to make bond.

Initially, Mina did not release Weir's name during the news conference and his name was given out by the Sheriff's Office on Friday afternoon.

Sheriff Wants Stricter Laws

Mina called for stricter laws when it comes to domestic violence suspects. However, one Central Florida attorney said revoking bond for these folks would be unconstitutional. 

According to the Sheriff, Weir has a domestic violence history with his girlfriend. On January 11, he reportedly shot at his girlfriend and was arrested, but he was ultimately released on bond.

“It should be a lesson for all of us that these type of people shouldn’t be on the street,” Mina said. “They should remain behind bars until their trial.” 

Spectrum News 13 spoke to attorney Clint Curtis, the owner of Clint Curtis And Associates Law Office. He deals with these type of domestic violence cases. He said revoking bond would overwhelm the jails. 

“Today it’s a domestic violence, and the next day it’s going to be DUIs, and then jaywalking, and suddenly everyone is in jail, and nobody can get out, whether they’re innocent or not… And that’s not what our system is set up for,” Clint said.   

Curtis who is on the board of a domestic violence organization, said judges have discretion for each individual case for a reason.

“Occasionally somebody will slip through but we can’t lock up the world, because occasionally somebody slips through,” Curtis said. That’s why we have a constitution, that why we have the protections… That’s we have to have in this society.”  

The woman in this case is safe.