A Stafford man was arrested after firing a handgun from a hotel balcony.
On Saturday, June 4, at 11:43 a.m., Sergeant A.I. Assur and Deputy T.M. Givler responded to a Super 8 motel at 25 Wicomico Drive in North Stafford with a disturbance report. Staff said a guest had reported hearing gunshots at about 2 a.m.
Deputies reviewed the surveillance video and saw a group of people on a hotel balcony at 1:57 a.m. who appeared to be taking photos holding a handgun. According to police, a suspect took the weapon and leaned against the railing outside the second-floor room.
The group stopped taking selfies at 2:10 a.m. Although there is no audio, deputies observed what appeared to be a shell casing eject above a suspect’s head. The gun handler proceeded to take the gun back, and the group dispersed back to their respective rooms, police said.
Deputies located the gun owner in his motel room, seized the weapon, and continued their investigation. However, the man in the video was not on the scene. The motel staff promised to contact the Sheriff’s Office when he returned.
At 1:55 p.m., deputies learned their suspect had returned, and a posse was dispatched to arrest him, police said.
Josue Guardado Garcia, 31, is charged with reckless handling, brandishing, shooting in a public area, and shooting in a no-shooting zone.
He was held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $3,000 bond. Deputies could not locate any people or property injured by the errant rounds.
