Cuban Yasser Barreto appeared this Thursday before the Miami-Dade court, initially facing four counts of second-degree attempted murder for firing multiple times at the manager and employees of a bar in Hialeah at the end of last July.
According to the police report, Barreto, 44 years old and a known patron of Kurva’s Bar & Grill, fired multiple times at the manager and several employees outside the establishment, located at 2150 W. 10th Court, shortly before 5 a.m. on July 26. None of the individuals were injured.
Barreto was arrested on Wednesday for attempted second-degree murder and discharging a deadly projectile. However, at the hearing on Thursday, the charges of attempted homicide were changed to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The police report, cited by local media, states that on the night of the shooting, the Cuban became aggressive with the waitstaff after having several drinks and getting drunk, so the manager escorted him to the exit of the bar and asked him not to return.
Outside, the man took a gun from his truck, aimed it, and shot into the air as he walked toward the bar.
Two security guards and another person tried to get him to get into their vehicle and leave, but he aimed his weapon at them and shot towards their legs and feet. The victims had to run to avoid being hit by the bullets, according to the police.
The manager, who heard the gunshots from inside the bar, grabbed his own gun, went out to the parking lot, and fired at least four shots, intending for Barreto to stop shooting and leave; which ultimately happened.
The agents confirmed that the accused fired at least nine rounds, according to the casings found at the scene; two of them struck the main door of the business and another was found near the bar area.
In the hearing this Thursday, Barreto's defense attorney requested the judge to change the charges of attempted homicide, according to a report by Telemundo51.
The lawyer based his request on the grounds that the accused "was aiming at the individuals' feet and had no intention of shooting them, only their feet; therefore, the attempted murder should be classified as aggravated assault."
In this regard, the prosecution argued that, although initially the accused had shot at the feet of the bar manager, he then opened fire on the establishment on at least nine occasions.
According to the accuser, throwing the victims and the business numerous times "would be a valid reason for attempted second-degree homicide and not aggravated assault with a deadly weapon."
However, based on the police report, Judge Mindy S. Glazer determined that “there is probable cause for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.”
Barreto was set a bail of $27,500 and ordered to stay away from his victims and the business.
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