18-year-old sentenced to prison after shooting and attempted robbery of THC cartridge

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An 18-year-old man will serve at least 5 years in prison after attempting to steal a THC cartridge.

Rodrigo Torres pled guilty to attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and attempted discharging a firearm into an occupies dwelling in New Hanover County Superior Court on Wednesday.

According to the DA’s office, on March 25th, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 5100 block of Carolina Beach Road in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, they located four spent shell casings outside the residence and seven bullet holes on the side of the house.

Through the investigation, detectives learned that one of the residents in the home agreed to sell Torres a THC cartridge. When Torres arrived at the home, he had two masked men with him. He then showed a gun and attempted to steal the THC cartridge. The victims went inside their home and called 911.

Torres, who was 17 years old at the time of the offense fled the scene in a vehicle with the masked men. As they were driving away, they fired multiple gun shots, striking the residence.