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FSU track stars arrested after alleged shooting incident

Ronell Joshua Mance and Stephen Newbold
Posted at 11:51 AM, Mar 21, 2013
and last updated 2013-03-21 09:34:25-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Two sprinters with the Florida State University track team are facing charges after an alleged shooting incident at Campus Walk Apartments.

Tallahassee police responded after complaints about gunshots and that a man was shooting at another person in the pool area of the complex.

When officers arrived, they stopped five men walking away from the pool. They told the men to put their hands on their heads so officers could pat them down and see if anyone had a gun.

Police say that when one of the officers mentioned a gun, a suspect --now identified as FSU sprinter Stephen Newbold-- ran away.

Officers say other suspect, sprinter Ronell Joshua Mance, also resisted the efforts by "tensing his body" and refusing to turn in the proper direction so police could search for a weapon. Police say they told him to stop, but he refused. 

As a result, he was arrested. Police searched him during the arrest and found Newbold's ID card with the date altered.

A police dog was able to track Newbold. When he was arrested, he told police  that Mance used his ID card to get into The Moon, a local bar and nightclub.

One witness says that she saw Newbold shooting a gun. Shell casings were also found in the area where witnesses say the shooting happened.  However, police are not releasing whether or not the weapon involved in the shooting was ever located. 

Newbold and Mance were booked into the Leon County Jail. Newbold is charged with resisting without violence and discharging a firearm in public. Mance was charged with resisting without violence and unauthorized use of an ID.

FSU Director of Athletics Randy Spetman says that Mance and Newbold are suspended from the team, and that suspension is effective immediately. He said that it will be up to the university's discipline policy and legal proceedings to determine whether or not they can rejoin the team.