A new warrant is shedding light on what led up to an Aventura Police officer's arrest on kidnapping and other serious charges.
Officer David Esteban Delgado, 30, was arrested by the Broward Sheriff's Office Wednesday on two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, battery, and engaging in a criminal offense with a weapon, jail records showed.
The alleged incident involving Delgado happened May 20 when Delgado made an unlawful stop and unlawfully detained two men against their will at gunpoint in Pompano Beach, authorities said.
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But the incident began earlier in the day at the Aventura Mall, where Delgado's girlfriend works as a valet, according to a new arrest warrant obtained by NBC6 Friday.
The warrant said the two victims had gone to the mall to do some shopping before they were heading to to Bayfront Park to perform at the Haitian Compas Festival.
The victims had valeted their car with the attendant, Delgado's girlfriend, and after leaving the mall and while driving to the festival they found an iPhone in their car that they determined belonged to her, the warrant said.
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They exchanged calls with her and agreed that they would return the phone on their way back from performing at the festival, but told police there was confusion and miscommunication about where the phone was to be returned, the warrant said.
Since they had to perform another show that night, the men continued to one victim's apartment in Pompano Beach, determining that would return the phone the next day, the warrant said.
But when they arrived at the Pompano Beach apartment, they encountered a marked Aventura Police cruiser and Delgado, who got out and detained them at gunpoint, the warrant said.
Delgado allegedly pointed his weapon and yelled "put your f---ing hands behind your back before I shoot," the warrant said.
The victims said they complied, and Delgado retried the phone, the warrant said. During the encounter, Delgado handcuffed one of the men and threw him against the police car, causing an injury to his knee, the warrant said.
Once Delgado had the phone, he took the handcuffs off the man and left, the warrant said.
"Aventura Police Department Officer David Delgado did forcibly and by terror and threat unlawfully imprison both victims, while in full uniform, and by using his agency firearm," the warrant said.
The warrant said Delgado had used his phone to track his girlfriend's phone. The day of the incident, Delgado had been assigned to honor guard duties at a Police Benevolent Association gala at Trump National Doral but had gone to Pompano Beach to confront the men and hadn't told his supervisor, the warrant said.
After a complaint was filed by by the two alleged victims, Aventura Police launched an internal affairs investigation, officials said.
The Broward Sheriff's Office Public Corruption Unit also launched an investigation and decided to proceed with charges, officials said.
Delgado was booked into jail and later released on bond. He left jail Friday morning without speaking with reporters.
In an exclusive interview with NBC6, Delgado's girlfriend said the allegations against him were false.
"As I told you before, God knows like the truth and what’s happening and what had happened before, so there’s nothing else I can say," she said. "I have no words at this moment, I am as surprised as you, like, he’s being arrested because I don’t understand how the justice is working right now but there’s nothing else I can say."
Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show Delgado was hired by Aventura Police in February 2019, his first job in Florida law enforcement.
Following his arrest, Delagdo was suspended without pay, officials said.
