Police arrested a 35-year-old McAllen man who they allege threatened to shoot two teenagers riding their bicycles and fired a shot into the ground because he thought they were smoking marijuana near his house.
McAllen police arrested Mariano Garza Jr. on Sunday and charged him with unlawful discharge of a weapon in certain municipalities, two counts of making a terroristic threat and a count of him being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The incident occurred just before 7 p.m. that day after the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, told their mothers that a man threatened to shoot them and fired a gun, according to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest.
The location of the incident is redacted because the teens are minors and it could reveal their identities. Their names are also redacted in the affidavit.
The teens told police they were riding their bicycles by a canal behind their residence when they heard a man, later identified as Garza, yell “get out of here” before hearing a loud bang they believed was a gun shot, according to the affidavit.
They quickly left the area, but as they were leaving they were approached by a man in a white Chevy Tahoe who said “don’t be coming by in your GMC, go smoke your weed somewhere else,” the affidavit said.
The teens told them they don’t own a GMC or drive, and were just riding their bikes through the area for the first time, to which Garza said “oh my bad for that, well don’t be coming around here anymore cuz I have a gun and I’ll use it,” the affidavit stated.
Both teens felt Garza would shoot them if they came back around and then went and told their mothers what happened, according to the complaint.
The teenagers were able to show police where the alleged incident occurred on Google Maps and police then went to make contact with Garza, who initially denied shooting his weapon though he did admit to having an argument with some juveniles, police say.
“Officer Salinas stated after speaking with Mr. Garza, he finally stated and confessed to shooting his handgun towards the ground after telling the juveniles to leave the area,” the affidavit stated.
Garza was booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on Monday and bailed out the same day on a total of $19,000 in bonds.
