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A 23-year-old man was arrested following a violent incident that took place in the parking lot of Hialeah of Miami-Dade College (MDC), where he allegedly drew a firearm during a dispute with another driver.
The altercation, described by the police as an episode of road rage, resulted in the discovery of drugs and a weapon in the suspect's vehicle.
The detainee, identified as Leonard Díaz, whose nationality has not been disclosed, resides in western Miami-Dade.
According to an arrest report from the Hialeah Police Department (HPD), the confrontation occurred at around 10:20 a.m. on Monday on the first level of the parking garage located at 1780 W. 49th St.
According to the police report -cited by the local press- the victim explained to the officers that the incident began when both of them argued while moving through the garage.
The document states that Díaz "reached into his vehicle and pulled out a firearm," and subsequently "placed it at his waist and walked towards the victim's vehicle while shouting aggressively."
The victim also reported that the young man kicked her car during the confrontation, which heightened her fear.
“The victim indicated that due to (Díaz)'s behavior, she feared for her life because she believed he would use the weapon against her”, states the police report.
The defendant's version
Díaz offered the agents a different version of events.
The report states that the young man told the police that "the victim had been following him very closely from the first floor to the third floor of the parking garage," and that for that reason, he decided to stop.
According to his testimony, "he stopped his vehicle, got out, and approached the victim's vehicle to talk to him," but the other driver refused to converse and began to rev the engine.
Díaz assured that he returned to his vehicle to look for his cellphone and that at that moment his shirt accidentally lifted, briefly revealing the weapon he was carrying concealed.
Findings of weapons and drugs
During the investigation, Díaz himself informed a sergeant from the HPD that the weapon was located under the front seat of his vehicle.
The agents searched the car and recovered the weapon. However, the subsequent search revealed more compromising elements.
During an inventory of the vehicle related to the arrest, an officer found several substances that were allegedly illegal.
The police report indicates that "two small bags containing a white powdery substance, presumably consistent with white cocaine," along with a bag with alleged tusi or "pink cocaine."
The agents also found a pill that appeared to be ecstasy and a medium-sized bag containing what was presumed to be marijuana.
Following the incident, Díaz was arrested and is facing several charges, including:
-Aggravated assault with a firearm.
- Improper display of a firearm.
-Sale or delivery of a controlled substance.
-Illegal discharge of a firearm in a public place.
However, as of Tuesday morning, the basis for the latest charge was not clear, since the police report does not state that the suspect fired the weapon during the altercation.
Díaz was held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK), with bail set at $8,500, although he no longer appears in the records.
As of the closure of this report, there is no additional information regarding the incident, which has raised concerns about the presence of weapons and drugs in university settings, as well as the risk of violence that can arise from confrontations between drivers in busy locations such as educational campuses.
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