Armed bingo hall patrons catch man who shot at women in parking lot, Florida cops say

An armed man accused of accosting two women outside a Florida bingo hall was stopped in his tracks when two bystanders pulled out their own guns, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened Wednesday, Jan. 4, when a man began firing shots outside a business in the 4400 block of Mobile Highway in West Pensacola, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Multiple media outlets have identified the site as Bingo Paradise, which was hosting a bingo tournament that day.

The 38-year-old suspect “was standing outside of the business when two females tried to enter,” the sheriff office says.

“They became involved in an altercation at the entrance of the building. During the altercation, he retrieved a firearm from his side and hit one female victim in the head with it. He then began shooting in their direction and continued to fire into the parking lot as the victims fled.”

The man, who lives in Pensacola, then tossed the gun “in a nearby dumpster” and approached the door of the bingo hall, officials said.

“As (he) tried to enter the building, two citizens who had witnessed the altercation pulled their concealed weapons, holding (him) until deputies arrived,” the sheriff’s office said.

That’s how deputies found the suspect, who was quickly arrested. He has been charged with “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, firing a weapon in public, use/display of a firearm during a felony, aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon, and trafficking of methamphetamine,” officials said.

Deputies recovered the suspect’s gun from the dumpster.

Investigators did not reveal why the man was trying to get inside the hall.

This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 6:23 AM with the headline "Armed bingo hall patrons catch man who shot at women in parking lot, Florida cops say."