SAN ANTONIO – In a surprising turn of events, a man from San Antonio has been arrested after being linked to multiple incidents involving a pellet gun. Authorities believe he shot at the windows of a real estate firm on five different occasions.
John Micheal Gonzalez, a 39-year-old, was taken into custody and booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center just after midnight on Thursday. The police charged him with five counts of criminal mischief, with a total bond set at $25,000.
According to legal records, each charge estimates the damage at between $2,500 and $30,000, classifying them as state jail felonies.
Caught on camera
The trouble began when an employee at the real estate firm, situated near the Interstate 10 eastbound access road and Medical Drive, reported that someone had shot out the company’s windows. After reviewing the surveillance footage, the employee noticed a red Ford Expedition with what appeared to be a firearm barrel sticking out of the passenger side window.
In a series of events, detectives believe that Gonzalez shot at and damaged the firm’s windows on four additional dates: April 20, April 30, May 6, and May 12.
The May 6 incident was particularly alarming when an employee found shattered glass upon arriving for work the next day. Security footage from that night showed the red Ford Expedition on camera between 10:30 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.
During the May 12 incident, an employee witnessed the shooting firsthand. They described how the red Ford Expedition pulled up, rolled down the driver’s side window, and began firing at the building’s windows.
Tracking the suspect down
After one of the shootings, the employee decided to follow the red Ford Expedition, leading them to the parking lot of a nearby Japanese steakhouse. There, they observed the suspect exit the vehicle wearing a work uniform from the restaurant, noted the vehicle’s license plate, and described the driver to police.
The employee provided police with video evidence from each incident and helped identify Gonzalez in a photo lineup.
Following this, police arrested Gonzalez at the steakhouse after obtaining a search warrant, recovering items related to the shootings from his vehicle.
Gonzalez talks to police
In his conversation with officers, Gonzalez claimed that the shootings were accidents caused by his pellet gun discharging while he was driving past the real estate building. He admitted that the guns and pellets found in his vehicle were indeed his.
The total estimated damage to the real estate firm surpassed $40,000. After spending some time in jail, Gonzalez was released on bond around 9 a.m. Friday, with his next court appearance scheduled for August 18.
