MIAMI – The attorney for a man accused of shooting at two other men in a Miami Lakes parking lot after they told him to stop taking photos and videos of their cars appeared in court on Wednesday, asking a Miami-Dade judge to grant him bond.
Danny Michel Casavilla-Garcia, 47, is accused of shooting at the men at about 3 a.m. Monday in the area of 15544 NW 77th Court. One of them was hit in the pelvis and injured.
According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Police Department, Casavilla-Garcia was intoxicated in the parking lot of a shopping plaza when he started to film and take photos of the victims’ vehicles and other cars.
Police said the men told him to stay away from their cars.
After a brief confrontation, they left, but then returned when Casavilla-Garcia continued to take photos and he pulled out a gun and fired at both victims, authorities said.
Casavilla-Garcia was not in court Wednesday but his family — and his attorney, Scott Egleston — were.
Egleston argued that a second count of attempted murder warrants a bond.
“It’s important to note that the judge did not find sufficient evidence yesterday for the two most important serious charges,” Egleston said.
Egleston told Local 10 News that his client felt “his life was in danger” and that he “did not flee” and called police.
“He was not a threat to anyone in that parking lot in the early morning hours,” he said.
Egleston said because the victims returned to the parking lot, he is confident he can prove his client is a good man acting in self-defense.
“We need to fight to get him out,” he said. ”He’s a marine that served this country for years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and then, after that, 14 years in the Navy.”
Casavilla-Garcia was ultimately denied bond. An arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 30. The wounded victim remains in the hospital.