Man arrested for threatening teenagers with gun

A 37-year-old Key Largo man was arrested Saturday night after brandishing a firearm in front of a group of teenagers who were shooting off fireworks on the 800 block of Largo Road.

Emilio Perez was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm without intent to kill.

The group teenagers — one 14-year-old, three 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old — were given written citations for disorderly conduct regarding the fireworks.

Multiple Deputies responded to a house on Largo Road approximately 8:45 p.m. They arrived to find a man matching the 911 Operator’s description of the suspect, identified as Perez. They placed in Perez in custody. Deputies cleared the house, looking for additional adults and found none, but there were several young children inside.

Perez told Deputies his two daughters were in the front yard when a group of male teenagers walked past his daughters shooting fireworks off in the street. One of the daughters reportedly asked them to cease shooting off fireworks and were rebuffed with profanity by the group of boys, according to Perez. Perez confronted the boys about five houses down from his house, whereupon they cursed at him, according to Perez. The boys then walked back to Perez’s home and began shooting off fireworks in the street in front of his house, according to Perez. Perez claimed they entered his yard and taunted him before Perez went inside and retrieved a Taurus 9mm handgun. Perez said he came back outside and the boys left.

Deputy Cody Jackson meet with the boys and their parents at Lake Surprise Boulevard and U.S. 1. All the boys gave a similar story: They were walking down the street shooting off fireworks and using foul language with one another in a joking manner. Each told Deputy Jackson they surmised the one of the girls must have mistakenly thought they were talking to them as the boys walked past.

The boys stated they walked down to roughly the 700 block of Largo Road a man, identified as Perez, pulled up white minivan. The driver accused them of calling his daughter a foul name and then displayed a black handgun. Each described the handgun as black with silver top.

Deputy Joel Torres also spoke to Perez. Perez changed his story and said he had been in a white minivan at some point during the disturbance. Perez admitted to displaying the handgun to the boys.

Deputies found the gun in a laundry room in a shed, at the direction of Lopez’s wife. She also asked that the boys be prosecuted for shooting off fireworks at her residence.

All the juveniles’ parents or guardians who were called to the scene signed the citations. The parents were also present when each juvenile was interviewed separately by Deputies.

Perez was taken to jail.

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