MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A 23-year-old man could be spending quite a long time behind bars after police said he shot a male victim after attempting to run him over in Miami Beach last weekend.
Miami Beach police said a 911 call was received around 5:30 p.m. Saturday reporting a person in a white van who attempted to run over a male pedestrian. Moments later, another call was received reporting a shooting with injuries near the intersection of 81st Street and Byron Avenue in Miami Beach.
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Authorities said they responded and found a male victim lying on the sidewalk with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper left leg.
An arrest report stated the victim was located on the northeast corner of a park near the intersection, where he was bleeding profusely. Police said he attempted to stop the bleeding before he was eventually transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center by Miami Beach Fire Rescue.
According to responding officers, the victim stated that a man, who they identified as Gilmanuel Castillo, of Bay Harbor Islands, was driving a white van when he attempted to run the victim over and then shot him after exiting the vehicle.
Detectives with the MBPD’s Homicide Unit were contacted and responded to the scene where they spoke with a bystander who described witnessing a heavy-set Hispanic male chasing the victim and then punching him near the corner of 81st Street and Byron Avenue.
The witness told police that moments later, she saw Castillo extending his right arm and firing a shot toward the victim near a park fence before entering the van and driving south on Byron Avenue.
MBPD officers went to JMH’s Ryder Trauma Center to meet with the victim, who they said provided a recorded statement. The victim described being approached by a heavy-set Hispanic male, known as “Gil,” who accused him of being a snitch and then shot him after an altercation, according to the arrest report.
A detective conducted a photographic lineup, in which the victim positively identified Castillo as the suspect, authorities confirmed.
MBPD detectives said they conducted video surveillance on Sunday on Castillo before detaining him. Police said a Glock 10 mm firearm was found in his possession.
Castillo waived his Miranda Rights and provided detectives with a statement, claiming self-defense, according to police.
Detectives said based on the evidence, Castillo was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where jail records show he is being held without bond on a first-degree attempted murder charge.
Further details about why Castillo allegedly believed the victim was a “snitch” were not mentioned in the arrest report.