WhatsApp feud leads man to fire warning shot that hits Miami-Dade bus, injuring passenger, cops say

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies took a man into custody after he fired warning shots from his apartment balcony, with one of the bullets hitting a bus and causing glass injuries to a passenger, according to investigators.

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The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday near 24302 SW 107th Ave.

Investigators said 24-year-old Elio Jesus Rodriguez Garcia was at his home when a man he had been arguing with through WhatsApp messages appeared at the front gate of his apartment complex.

Rodriguez Garcia heard the man yelling from outside and exited through the back of his apartment to see what was happening.

After seeing the man, Rodriguez Garcia went back inside, armed himself with a rifle and returned to his rear balcony, where the two continued arguing.

During the confrontation, Rodriguez Garcia fired two warning shots, investigators said.

One of the shots traveled across U.S. 1 and struck the passenger side of a Miami-Dade Transit bus as it was traveling north near Southwest 132nd Avenue and the Busway.

The bus had passengers at the time. According to the arrest form, the bullet entered the bus, shattered a side window and caused minor glass injuries to the right side of a passenger’s head and face.

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Johnson was seated on the driver’s side of the bus a few feet from where the bullet entered. The bullet was recovered intact from inside the bus and appeared to be a rifle round.

She was treated at the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

As Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the report of an occupied bus being struck by gunfire, dispatchers also received a separate call about a man firing a weapon at Pine Grove Apartments.

Deputies responded and took Rodriguez Garcia into custody without incident.

According to the arrest form, deputies recovered a spent .300 Blackout casing behind Rodriguez Garcia apartment. From the rear of the apartment, investigators said they could see across heavily-congested U.S. 1 to the Miami-Dade Transit bus that had been struck.

Rodriguez Garcia was transported to MDSO’s South District station for an interview. Investigators said he was advised of his Miranda rights using a preprinted form and agreed to speak without an attorney present.

He was later charged and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Charges include four counts of attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon, with bond to be set. He also faces a charge of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place or residential property, with bond set at $500.

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Authorities additionally placed an immigration hold on Rodriguez Garcia.