PHOENIX — A father and his 13-year-old son were arrested after police said they used slingshots to shoot BBs at homes and vehicles in the Arrowhead Lakes neighborhood, causing $15,700 in damage.
According to court records, Aaron Sheets and his son committed several counts of criminal damage between April 6, 2026, and April 26, 2026.
The investigation began after multiple homeowners reported damaged windows. On April 4, 2026, at 6:51 p.m., three residences were damaged. One home sustained $1,000 in damage to a front windowpane. The homeowner provided surveillance footage showing a white Jeep Renegade driving westbound with the passenger window down. The passenger was seen holding a weapon, and loud pops were heard on the video.
Officers canvassed the area and found identical damage at a second home, which was in the direct path of the suspect vehicle. A third cracked window was located at another nearby residence.
According to the court records, on April 20, 2026, officers responded to four more homes. One residence had an estimated $8,000 in damage to a large front window, and the homeowner found a BB nearby. Another home had $200 in damage, and a vehicle windshield at a different property sustained $500 in damage. At a fourth home, a homeowner reported three windows were damaged between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., totaling $2,000. A daughter at the home heard a loud bang at 3:54 p.m., and an officer located a BB in the window frame.
Court records say additional surveillance footage from a neighbor showed an SUV driving in the area on April 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. The video captured the sound of glass shattering as the vehicle turned onto a dead-end street.
Detectives used Flock cameras to find a matching vehicle captured entering the neighborhood on April 4, 2026, at 6:48 p.m. The vehicle was identified as a 2018 white Jeep Renegade with black rims and black roof rack supports.
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Police previously contacted Sheets and his son on Jan. 25, 2026, for fishing off a neighborhood dock. Body camera footage from that encounter helped detectives match the 13-year-old's physical characteristics to the suspect seen in the surveillance video.
On April 26, 2026, detectives surveilled the Jeep as it entered the subdivision. At 4:23 p.m., the vehicle drove past a home. Five minutes later, the homeowner reported a loud noise and found a large hole in their glass, valued at $4,000.
The Jeep later stopped in the neighborhood, and officers conducted a traffic stop, per court records. Sheets was allegedly driving, and his son was in the passenger seat. Police observed hundreds of silver BBs in plain view inside the vehicle, along with a package of BBs in the center console.
During an interview, court records say Sheets initially denied knowing about the BBs. He later stated his son was using a slingshot purchased from Walmart to shoot out of the car window, but claimed he thought his son was shooting at trees. Sheets told officers he let his son do it because he wanted him to have some fun, though he agreed it was a poor parenting choice. He later admitted to having two slingshots.
The 13-year-old son allegedly told police that both he and his father used slingshots to shoot at houses and cars. The teen stated Sheets shot from the driver's side window and told him he would not get into trouble. The son estimated they did this approximately 10 times each in multiple neighborhoods.
A search warrant served on the Jeep resulted in the recovery of two slingshots and hundreds of silver BBs. Court documents state Sheets placed his child in a position that contributed to his delinquent behavior.
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