Florida teenager in MAGA hat shoots himself in the leg to blame ‘hispanic men’ in kidnapping hoax

A Florida teenager, who was reported missing and was feared to have been kidnapped by “four Hispanic men,” actually faked the entire abduction, and even shot himself in the leg as part of the unbelievably elaborate hoax, according to NY Post. This is awful for everyone who spent time searching for him.

The whole thing started last Thursday in Dunnellon, north of Tampa, when 17-year-old Caden Speight suddenly vanished. The initial concern was high; law enforcement thought he might have been shot, and authorities uncovered his abandoned car with evidence of a single gunshot nearby. Speight was reported to be wearing a MAGA hat at the time, and the story going around was that he was last seen in a light-colored van with four unidentified men, details he had actually texted to his family.

His disappearance triggered a desperate search, including a helicopter search overnight, and an Amber Alert was issued. His distraught sister, Bailey Speight Clark, even posted an impassioned plea on Facebook for his safe return, writing, “God I just want him home. I can’t sleep eat or do anything not knowing where he is and if he is safe. Please don’t stop searching or looking” and “I don’t understand why this has happened. Just bring him home”.

MAGA teen blames Hispanics for a fake kidnapping

To be fair to the family, they were operating on the information they had, which turned out to be completely made up. Speight was eventually found on Friday, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office quickly revealed he had never been in danger. “The initial details that Caden texted to his family, were proven to be false. Completely made up,” the sheriff’s office said. While they did find evidence of a single gunshot where his truck was left, they said his claims of being shot and abducted were “quickly disproven”.

Here’s where the story gets really wild: The teen is believed to have fled the scene on a bicycle right after he claimed he was kidnapped, and he even bought a tent and camping supplies to keep the ruse going. But he took it a step further. “To continue the ruse, Caden, who had a handgun with him since the beginning of all of this, chose to shoot himself in the leg,” the sheriff’s office explained.

He caused a non-life-threatening injury to himself just before he walked out onto a roadway where citizens in Williston found him. The authorities were very clear: “There is zero chance that Caden’s gunshot wound came from any type of assailant”. ICE already goes too far; hopefully, they don’t use this as an example of what people think of immigrants.

I honestly can’t believe the lengths this kid went to for this twisted hoax. You have to feel for the family and law enforcement who wasted precious resources searching for him just os he could make a racist lie up. As of right now, it’s not immediately clear if the teen will face any charges over this whole thing. The sheriff’s office has stated that his parents have so far refused to let law enforcement interview him.