An argument at the Dollar Tree on John Wayne Parkway ended with a handgun allegedly being pulled and a 19-year-old under arrest last week.
According to a probable cause statement, Maricopa police officers were called to the store around 9 p.m. Wednesday after reports of a confrontation involving a firearm. Police said Andreas Garcia was arguing with another man, identified as James Tucker, when Garcia pulled out a handgun, pointed it at Tucker and racked the slide, chambering a round.
Tucker’s sister stepped between the two men in an attempt to stop the confrontation, police said.
Witnesses told officers the firearm was black and green with a long magazine. According to investigators, Garcia’s mother, Michelle Garcia, took the handgun from her son and placed it inside their Dodge Nitro before attempting to leave the scene with him.
Police conducted a “high-risk traffic stop” and arrested Andreas Garcia while detaining his mother and a third person. Garcia admitted pulling the handgun inside the store, according to the police report. He told investigators he believed he needed to protect himself, though police noted he said he never saw a weapon in Tucker’s possession.
Michelle Garcia also admitted to taking the gun from her son and putting it in their SUV, police said. A third-party witness told officers he saw Andreas Garcia wearing a tan tracksuit, leaving the store with a green handgun tucked near his waistband.
Andreas Garcia was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct involving a weapon, a felony, and misconduct involving weapons for carrying a concealed firearm while under 21, a misdemeanor. If convicted, the felony charge carries a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison. The misdemeanor count is punishable by up to six months in jail.
Police said Andreas Garcia claimed self-defense but noted in charging documents that he made no attempt to leave the situation and admitted to taking part in the argument. He played football for Maricopa High School, according to MaxPreps, a high school sports database.
Andreas Garcia’s arrest comes just months after another former Maricopa High School football player, quarterback Damian Logan, was arrested in connection with an alleged drive-by shooting following what police described as a road-rage incident. In that case, Logan was charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and drive-by shooting. That case is pending in Pinal County Superior Court.
