On Tuesday, at approximately 2:45 pm, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office personnel received a request from Alabama law enforcement authorities to be on the lookout for a BMW X3 SUV that had been stolen overnight during a rash of auto burglaries in Florence, Alabama.

A HCSO Patrol Sergeant spotted the stolen vehicle on a parking lot of a local business on Dayton Pike in Sale Creek.

The driver’s seat was occupied by a 17-year-old male who reached towards a concealed handgun, but surrendered before force had to be used. A 15-year-old male accomplice was located inside the store and arrested without incident.

The firearm, a loaded 9mm, had also been reported stolen from Florence, Alabama overnight. Both juvenile suspects, who are residents of Florence, were transported to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center where they were booked on charges of Theft and Unlawful Possession of a Handgun.

As this incident pertains to juveniles, no further details are available.