Murder Suspect Arrested During SWAT Raid At Island Boys' Florida Rental Home

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Andrew James Thomas, who was previously booked on a first-degree murder charge, was arrested at the Island Boys' home.

The Island Boys' home had some unexpected visitors earlier this week, according to TMZ. On Monday, a SWAT team appeared at the rental property of the TikTok rappers (born Alex and Franky Venegas) to execute a search warrant that resulted in the arrest of one of the duo's apparent associates.

Andrew James Thomas was the criminal on authorities' radar. The police report says that Alex was home at the time of the raid, and his recounting revealed that Thomas "ran toward him in a hallway while holding a black handgun with an extended magazine when SWAT knocked on their door."


1/2 of the Island Boys claimed that Thomas tried to get him to hide the gun, but he refused. After this, Thomas ran into the laundry room and returned without the weapon, which police later found stashed in a closet.

After the raid, Thomas was booked for gun possession and violation of probation for an unrelated robbery case. It's also been noted that he was "booked on a first-degree murder charge in the deadly drive-by shooting of an 8-year-old girl in Palm Beach."

Coral Spring Police Sgt. Ernesto Bruna has shared that, at this time, it remains unclear if Thomas was staying in the home, or just dropping by for a visit. The musical group's manager has told TMZ that Alex and Franky had no idea their childhood friend was a suspect in such horrendous crimes.

"[They] just knew him 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."

Check back with HNHH later for any updates on the raid at the Island Boys' Florida home. 

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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