Man Accused Of Attempted Murder Of Cop Ordered Held In Jail
MIAMI (CBS4) – A Miami man who pointed a gun at a cop over the weekend made his first appearance before a judge Tuesday morning.
During the hearing 23-year old Argelio Saez, who is charged with attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer and fleeing police, was ordered held without bond. Nearly a dozen Miami police officers showed up at the hearing in a show of support to keep Saez behind bars.
Court records show there was also a warrant out for Saez's arrest for reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.
Saez was arrested Saturday. According to police, just before 5 a.m. an off-duty police officer heard shots in the area of SW 34th Avenue and 8th Street. He called it in to headquarters and then started looking around the neighborhood to see where the shots came from. A person sitting at a bus stop told the officer the gunfire came from a white SUV. The off-duty officer contacted headquarters with the new information which was relayed to patrol officers in the area.
Soon after a white SUV which matched the description of the one sought was spotted leaving the area.
According to police, at one point the 'occupant' of the vehicle, later identified as Saez, pointed a gun at an officer and "fired several shots from a handgun at the marked police vehicle being driven by Officer Pena," according to the police report. The officer drew his gun in self-defense and fired, but did not hit anyone.
After a short chase, the SUV came to a stop at 1230 SW 10th Street. When Saez bailed out to make a run for it on foot, he was struck by an arriving patrol car. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
Police said 22-year-old Henry Luis Socarras Reyes was the driver involved in the incident. Socarras Reyes bailed out as well and vanished into the neighborhood. A perimeter was set and SWAT joined the search. Reyes was eventually found and taken into custody.
According to police, Saez is no stranger to the law. In 2006, he accepted a plea deal in an attempted murder case.
The investigation still isn't over. Miami Police said at some point during the chase the suspect managed to hide a gun somewhere in that Little Havana neighborhood. Police still have not found that gun.
Enrique Dominico lives in that neighborhood. He told CBS4's Natalia Zea in Spanish, "Police need to continue looking for the gun because children could find it."
