Reinaldo Trujillo Sánchez, a 28-year-old Cuban resident of Hialeah, is facing a judicial entanglement after being accused in two separate criminal cases in less than a month.
Both incidents involve attempted murder and armed robbery.
Attempted murder at a gas station
The first incident has been the last to be taken to court. It involves an attempted homicide that occurred on January 29 at a Mobil gas station located in northwest Miami-Dade, specifically at the intersection of 27th Avenue and 102nd Street, as revealed by America Tevé.
According to the arrest report and images captured by security cameras, that day Trujillo-Sánchez approached a man with whom he apparently had a previous dispute.
They both got into a verbal dispute that quickly escalated into violence.
The surveillance video shows how Trujillo-Sánchez pulled out a silver pistol, struck the victim in the head with the butt of the weapon, and then opened fire, wounding him in the chest and the left arm.
The victim was immediately transported by the Miami-Dade Fire Department to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where they received treatment for serious gunshot wounds.
The identification of the aggressor was made possible thanks to the testimony of the victim, who recognized him through a series of photographs presented by the authorities.
On the past Thursday, Reinaldo Trujillo Sánchez appeared in court for that case, where he was formally charged with attempted murder in the second degree and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
"What are you doing with a weapon if you don't even have legal status in this country?", Judge Mindy S. Glazer questioned during the hearing.
The magistrate found sufficient grounds for a charge of second-degree attempted homicide and declared that the Cuban does not have the right to bail.
The first arrest: Financial dispute that ended in a shooting
But that is not the only criminal case facing Trujillo Sánchez.
On April 10, he had already appeared in the Miami-Dade criminal court due to his involvement in another violent altercation involving firearms.
On that occasion, the conflict arose from a financial dispute with an acquaintance.
According to the police investigation, Trujillo Sánchez does not have a bank account, so he had arranged with the victim—whom he had known for several months—to use her account to receive and withdraw money.
The problem arose when the accused claimed to have deposited $1,000 into that account, but the victim never saw that transaction reflected.
During a heated argument inside the victim's vehicle, she noticed that Trujillo was carrying a firearm and asked him to get out of the car.
A struggle ensued during which the weapon discharged, wounding the victim in both legs.
After the shooting, Trujillo fled the scene but was located and arrested shortly thereafter in the vicinity of Seventh Street and Northwest Seventh Avenue in Miami.
For that incident, he was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Current legal situation: Without bail and under immigration detention
Reinaldo Trujillo Sánchez remains detained at the Metrowest Detention Center, where he was admitted following his initial arrest.
He is currently facing charges in two separate cases, both involving elements of armed violence and serious injuries to the victims.
His legal situation becomes even more complicated after having received a migration hold, which means that his immigration status will be evaluated once the criminal charges are resolved.
The accused refused to cooperate with the detectives during the investigation of the shooting at the gas station, and his recent history suggests a troubling pattern of violent behavior.
The authorities are keeping the cases open, and Trujillo Sánchez is expected to appear before the court again this week.
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