A central Florida man was arrested Friday after police said he shot an officer who confronted him at a hotel room, claiming he thought the officers were members of the “Mexican cartel coming to steal his belongings.”
NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reports the incident took place in Melbourne along Florida’s Space Coast, after officers from the Melbourne Police Department were called to a hotel following several 911 calls made from a room.
Hotel management knocked on the door of a room where 28-year-old Lukas Alves and another person were inside. Someone from inside the room shouted “there are a bunch of armed gunmen, and I’m going to die,” according to the station.
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Officers arrived and Alves refused to open the door, instead asking them for their badge numbers. Alves and the other person inside began counting down from three, according to police, and fired one shot through the door.
The bullet struck an officer in his vest, saving his life. The officer involved was not identified.
Police returned fire and eventually got inside the room, taking both Alves and the other person into custody.
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Alves faces several charges, including attempted first-degree premediated murder of a law enforcement officer.
