A Miami-Dade SWAT team arrested a 38-year-old man on Saturday in connection with a shooting at a woman’s 75th birthday party in the Little Havana neighborhood. The suspect, identified as Angelo Garcia, was taken into custody at The Comfort Suites Miami-Kendall hotel in the Westchester area after a tense overnight operation.
Hotel guest Tito Polaco described being startled awake by the raid. “It was almost 2 a.m. I was awake. I was in bed watching TV and then I heard those six or seven ‘BOOMs’—thinking it was gunshots,” he said. Garcia was escorted out of the hotel in handcuffs around 2 a.m, as per WSVN.
Detectives accused him of opening fire at the birthday celebration, which took place just after 1 a.m. Friday at a home located at 910 SW 12 Avenue. According to an arrest report, surveillance footage showed Garcia, who lived nearby, speaking with guests in the front yard before suddenly firing at them. Investigators said Garcia approached one of the victims and asked where a man was who had allegedly offended him a week earlier.
The victim reportedly told Garcia that the man he was looking for had traveled to Cuba. Moments later, the shooting began. Miami Police said three people were injured in the attack — a 75-year-old woman celebrating her birthday, her 53-year-old son, and a 26-year-old man. All three victims were transported by Miami Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where they were treated for gunshot wounds.
Following the shooting, detectives identified Garcia as the suspect and began tracking his movements. He was eventually located at the Comfort Suites in Westchester, prompting the Miami-Dade SWAT team to intervene due to concerns that he was armed and dangerous, according to local TV station WPLG.
Garcia was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center shortly before 1:35 p.m. Saturday. Jail records show he faces multiple charges, including four counts of second-degree attempted murder or aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, displaying a firearm while committing a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm in a residential area.
Authorities have not released an update on the victims’ conditions, though all were expected to survive. Neighbors in Little Havana described the shooting as shocking and senseless. “It’s unbelievable that something like this could happen during a birthday party,” one resident said.
Garcia remains in custody without bond as the investigation continues. Police have not yet determined whether the shooting was premeditated or the result of an escalating argument.