Deputies in Oakland Park, Florida, have arrested a man accused of threatening another guy with a machete before shooting him in the face at point blank range in an encounter captured on surveillance camera.
The 22-year-old Luis Alberto Escolastico Canela is charged with first-degree attempted murder. According to jail records, he is being held without bond.
Last Monday, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office released video of the horrific event, asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the gunman.
Authorities say it happened around 1:50 a.m. on June 6 outside the 7-Eleven store at 3800 North Andrews Avenue in Oakland Park.
During a verbal dispute, one man threatened another with a machete, then a firearm. According to investigators, he then came up to the victim and attempted to execute him on the spot, as seen on horrifying security video.
“The video was shared with media and the public, and through investigative methods, the suspect was identified as Luis Alberto Escolastico Canela,” the sheriff’s office announced in a statement Friday. Deputies arrested him Thursday in North Lauderdale.
The footage, which was captured by two outside surveillance cameras at a Florida convenience shop, shows two guys arguing outside the store before one takes a machete from his sweatpants. The victim, who is seated on his bike at the far end of the parking lot, flashes what seems to be a pistol from inside his jacket.
The guy drives away from the lot, toward the exit, but suddenly gets out, carrying a pistol and aims it at the victim.
He moves across the parking lot, inches from the guy, and then shoots him in the face.
The victim collapses after a single shot, and the suspect flees across the parking area and into a dark-colored Infiniti automobile.
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, paramedics took the man to a local hospital, and he survived his injuries.
