A 32-year-old Cuban identified as Alian Sabala Argüelles was arrested on Monday by the Hialeah Police and faces charges of attempted premeditated murder and assault in the context of domestic violence, after his partner accused him of hitting her and pointing a firearm at her.
According to the affidavit of arrest -cited by Telemundo 51- the events took place during a dispute that occurred in the early morning of June 22.
The incident occurred around three in the morning when the victim, with whom Argüelles had a relationship of about six years, attempted to end the relationship.
At that moment, the defendant reacted violently: he repeatedly struck her with his fists, pulled out a black gun, placed the barrel against the woman's head, and pulled the trigger.
Fortunately, the shot did not occur due to a mechanical failure: a cartridge was stuck in the weapon's ejection port.
The victim seized the moment when Argüelles was trying to rectify the mistake to escape and take refuge in her grandmother's apartment, located just a few doors away.
The escape and the subsequent harassment
Later, a friend picked up the woman and took her to Ocala.
The witness testified before the authorities that she observed recent bruises on various parts of the victim's body, and that the victim was behaving desperately, fearful of being located.
According to the investigation, Argüelles found her in Ocala and attempted to force her into a vehicle at gunpoint, an incident that was also reported to the local police.
The victim explained to the authorities that she endured the alleged abuse for some time because she was afraid to go to the police.
The arrest and what they found
On July 20th, a license plate reader detected a Hyundai Tucson linked to the accused in Hialeah, which allowed the agents to locate and proceed with the arrest.
During the registration, the officers found in his possession a purple and black pistol, loaded with eight bullets, whose serial number was listed as lost in the police records.
Argüelles was taken to the Hialeah Police headquarters for questioning, where he denied hitting the woman and pointing a weapon at her.
Later, he was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight (TGK) Correctional Center, where he remains while the judicial process continues.
The investigation relies on the statements of the victim and the witness, as well as on videos of the injuries that the woman provided to the detectives.
The police's message to immigrant victims
Eddy Rodríguez, spokesperson for the Hialeah Police, described the outcome with relief: “Thank God the weapon malfunctioned.”
At the same time, he took the opportunity to send a direct message to immigrant victims who are afraid to report their situation due to their immigration status.
"There is no reason for them to be afraid of the police. Our job is not to enforce immigration law. Our job is to protect them, to ensure their well-being," the spokesperson stated.
A pattern that repeats in Miami-Dade
This case adds to a series of incidents of domestic violence involving Cuban men in the Miami-Dade metropolitan area in recent months.
Recently, the case of Leisnier Mauri García in Little Havana made headlines, as he is accused of stabbing his partner 34 times when she told him she wanted to end the relationship.
The victim in this case, Heydi Morales, broke her silence on July 15 and recounted how her son saved her life by applying pressure to her wounds and calling the police: “I have to survive, I have two children,” she stated.
In October 2024, Pedro Núñez, a 47-year-old Cuban, was arrested in Kendall on charges of shooting at his ex-wife multiple times.
Domestic violence is an underreported phenomenon in immigrant communities, partly due to fear of immigration consequences, a pattern that authorities in Hialeah are seeking to reverse.
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