Two Florida State Sprinters, Including Olympic Medalist Ronell J. Mance, Arrested After Poolside Shooting at Off-Campus Apartment Complex

Two of the nation’s top sprinters were suspended by Florida State officials Thursday, hours after the athletes were arrested following an early morning poolside shooting incident.

A police report stated that Ronell J. Mance, who won a silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games in the 4×400 relay, and Stephen Newbold, the MVP at the recent Atlantic Coast Conference indoor track and field championships, were arrested moments after Tallahassee police were alerted that the shots were being fired at an off-campus student apartment complex at about 3:30 a.m. There were no injuries reported.

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Newbold initially ran away from two pursuing officers, but was soon located by a police dog, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The affidavit said Newbold was arrested for discharging a firearm in public and resisting without violence. Mance was arrested for unauthorized use of an ID and resisting without violence. He had Newbold’s ID which had an altered date on it, which is a third degree felony under Florida law.

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Newbold told police that Mance was using the card to get into a local bar.

One witness told police that she heard two gunshots and when she looked out of her window she saw a male, who was later identified as Newbold, shoot a hand gun two more times in the direction of the swimming pool. The witness said she heard the shots and saw the muzzle flashes each time. Another account in the affidavit said the shots were aimed at a person in the pool area.

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Two of the other three males questioned by police at the scene were also members of the school’s track and field team, which annually ranks among the country’s best.