Four people were wounded with non-life-threatening injuries when a gunman opened fire on Seabreeze Blvd in Daytona Beach on Saturday, the Daytona Beach Police Department announced. The DBPD initially revealed to the public that they were investigating a shooting, and that four victims had been wounded. They have since announced that a suspect has been taken into custody.
The suspect, 21-year-old Misael Maldonado, was arrested after a brief police pursuit in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. He was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on four counts of attempted murder, plus one count of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
According to the statement released by the DBPD, the responding officers were already assigned to the site of the shooting, the entertainment district on Seabreeze Blvd. There they’re said to have witnessed a physical altercation begin between two or more people. The fight was taking place at the 600 block of N Grandview Ave. They began to approach the fight, but as they did the DBPD says Maldonado produced a handgun and began firing shots.
The officers took off after Maldonado, who’s said to have dropped the gun and started running away. The officers did ultimately catch up to him and arrest him. He allegedly also had fentanyl on his person at the time of arrest, accounting for the possession charge he was issued on top of the attempted murder charges.
The four individuals who were hit by gunfire during the incident were all transported to Halifax Medical Center, where they were treated for their injuries. All are expected to survive. Maldonado is being in jail on no bond, and more charges are possible given the description of his alleged actions by the DBPD.
This is Maldonado’s third time being booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail. Prior charges include armed burglary, multiple counts of grand theft with a firearm, criminal mischief over $1,000, cannabis possession, and failure to appear in court for a misdemeanor offense.
Hope this guy finally is put away for life without parole. I’ll bet he will plead he was high when he shot the 4 victims and was not in control of his mind. I hope it doesn’t happen and he gets a small sentence.