Shooting suspect Douglas Marks
MIAMI, July 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man has been arrested for shooting at a mother and son in a Miami Beach hotel lobby after becoming upset over their lack of social distancing.
Douglas Marks, 47, confronted the woman and her son in the lobby of the Crystal Beach Suites in Miami Beach on Monday evening, according to reports
Veronica Pena and her son, both visiting Miami Beach from New Mexico, said they were in the lobby of the hotel when they first saw Marks.
According to the affidavit, Marks, from Miami, told the pair: “You aren’t social distancing.”
Marks, 29, did not strike the family, but his reckless actions frightened numerous tourists and staff at the Crystal Beach Suites Hotel, local news outlets reported.
“The guy came and started shooting,” a witness told WSVN. “The son and the mom were, like, crying, and they were scared.”
Police said the shooter had confronted the mother and son for not following coronavirus guidelines in the lobby. He then lost his patience, grabbed a firearm and fired at least four “warning shots” into the floor while screaming at the family, police told a local ABC affiliate station.
When officers arrived, they found the suspect wearing a mask and holding a black pistol. He was arrested without further incident.
Marks was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm in public and using or displaying a firearm while committing a felony, online jail records show.
No one was injured. — NNN-AGENCIES
