BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A man faces charges after deputies say he threatened patrons at a Malabar bar with a gun before pistol whipping an employee on Saturday evening, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they responded to a “local bar in Malabar” where a man was threatening patrons with a gun, even pointing the gun at an employee’s head at one point.
Recommended Videos
According to a news release, when deputies arrived at the scene, they identified Jose Maldonado as the subject with the gun and took him into custody.
[TRENDING: A cool front is on the way to Central Florida | Arrest made in hit-and-run crash that killed 19-year-old Orlando man, troopers say | Become a News 6 Insider]
Deputies said the gun Maldonado had tucked into his waist band was a “Byrna Gun,” a co2 powered gun that fires 68 caliber chemical irritant projectiles filled with a highly potent cocktail of pepper spray!!’
According to the release, the weapon looked like a real gun, and Maldonado was taken into custody.
“As it turns out, Maldonado had not only threatened bar patrons with the gun, but had also threatened the manager and when an employee intervened, Maldonado pistol whipped him and then put the weapon to his head!!” Sheriff Wayne Ivey posted on Facebook.
Maldonado was transported to the Brevard County jail on a no-bond status and faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery, deputies said.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: