Two Cuban American brothers, identified as Pedro Luis Rodríguez and Luis Ángel Rodríguez, were arrested following a violent altercation with an employee at a tire shop in southwestern Miami-Dade, according to police reports.
The altercation took place on Monday afternoon at Tire Liquidators Miami II, located at 2090 Southwest 67th Avenue.
The brothers went to the establishment to file a complaint about a previous job done on their vehicle.
According to the arrest report cited by local media, the situation escalated quickly when customers began to argue with the mechanic, referred to as the "victim" in the report, whose identity has not been disclosed.
The employee attempted to handle the situation by providing the contact information of the business owners.
However, one of the brothers began to hit the employee several times, prompting the mechanic to draw a firearm he was carrying at his waist and raise it into the air.
In response, the brothers allegedly jumped on the mechanic, striking him repeatedly in the head and body. During the fight, the mechanic fired three shots, hitting Pedro Luis Rodríguez in the leg.
Subsequently, Pedro Rodríguez took the mechanic's weapon and struck him on the head while saying, "What you're good for is dying."
The employee managed to escape from the office, but was caught outside by Luis Ángel Rodríguez, who continued to hit him, took the weapon away from his brother, and aimed it at the mechanic, according to the police report.
The employee ended up with bruises on both arms and a laceration on the head, but did not require hospitalization.
Pedro Luis Rodríguez was transferred to Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition due to a leg injury. Both he and his brother were arrested shortly thereafter.
Pedro Luis Rodríguez faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, while Luis Ángel Rodríguez is accused of assault and aggravated assault with a firearm, according to court records.
Neighbors and witnesses described the chaos experienced during the incident.
“We saw a woman who ran out with a phone to make a call. Two or three minutes later, the first police patrol arrived,” said Rafael Pedroza, who identified himself as a witness to the events, in statements to the press.
He added that he saw two bloodied individuals, one of whom had an injury to the leg, while the mechanic was taken away in handcuffs by the police.
The owner of the business—of Cuban descent—defended his employee, stating that he was aware the employee was carrying a firearm for security reasons.
"He has been working with me for several years," she assured, indicating that the man will continue working at the store after the events.
The police continue to investigate to clarify all the details of the case.
This is not the first violent incident related to tires involving a Cuban in the past month.
In the early hours of November 2nd, a 36-year-old Cuban identified as Michel Montes de Oca died in a violent altercation with a mechanic during a dispute over a used tire.
The incident occurred when Montes de Oca, upset about the condition of the tire, attacked the mechanic, Brandon Hurst, with a machete. Hurst responded by shooting him, which resulted in the Cuban's death.
The police and the prosecutor's office determined that it was an act of self-defense, so no charges were filed against the mechanic.
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