TikTok stars Island Boys launched to internet fame with their viral freestyle rap – but now the pair are making headlines after their home was raided by police.
A SWAT team executed a search warrant at the Island Boys’ rental home in Florida this week, TMZ reports.
The raid reportedly led to the arrest of a suspect in connection with the drive-by shooting of an eight-year-old girl. The social media duo weren’t implicated in the investigation.
Here’s what we know.
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Island Boys’ Florida rental home raided
A SWAT team raided the Coral Springs rental home of TikTok stars Island Boys on Monday (February 7th), resulting in the arrest of a 20-year-old man, Complex reports. The Island Boys, twins Franky and Alex Venegas, were not arrested or implicated in the investigation.
Complex reports police have identified Andrew James Thomas as a suspect in the shooting of an eight-year-old three days before the raid. Thomas faces charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm.
The Venegas brothers’ manager told Complex that Thomas had been “crashing” on the sofa at the Florida house and the two TikTok stars had no idea he was a police suspect. Alex was home during the raid.
The police investigation into the drive-by shooting continues.
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Island Boys manager addresses situation
Island Boys manager Dovi Bezner told press Alex and Franky had no idea Thomas was a murder suspect.
Bezner told WPBF, via LadBible: “We just knew (Thomas) as a quiet kid and he would come and hang out and do his thing and go back to whatever he got going on – but we had no clue about any of these allegations toward him.
“We just knew him as a good person, someone who grew up with the Island Boys. If we knew anything like this was going on we wouldn’t have allowed him on the property.”
Bezner added that Alex cried when he found out about the charges against Thomas.
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