MELBOURNE, Fla. – A man who shot a Melbourne police officer at a hotel near the airport Friday told police he thought the officers were members of the Mexican cartel, coming to steal his belongings, according to an arrest affidavit released by the agency.
Lukas Alves faces three counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer, shooting into an occupied building, and use of a firearm during a felony.
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Police said Alves and another person were in a room at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel on Friday when hotel management knocked on the door to ask them about a 911 hang-up call. The arrest affidavit said someone in the room shouted “There are a bunch of armed gunmen, and I’m going to die.”
Police went to the hotel to check on the people in the room. They said the defendant refused to open the door and asked for police badge numbers. Police said the suspect continued to be argumentative, then began to countdown from three, and fired one round through the door, striking one of the officers in the chest. The officer was protected by a ballistic vest, but had a bruise on his chest from the bullet’s impact.
Police said their officers returned fire and the suspect fired several more rounds, with some going into the room across the hall.
Eventually, Alves and the other person in the room left and were taken into custody.