TAVARES, Fla. — A 40-year-old man was arrested for discharging a firearm in public after the Tavares Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at the Holiday Inn Express on W Burleigh Blvd.
Police arrived at the scene and found three males near a pickup truck and trailer. A witness provided TPD with video evidence showing Steven Pizarroz firing a handgun in the parking lot.
The witness showed officers a video on their phone, capturing Pizarroz in a brown shirt, jeans, and visor, shooting three rounds from a black handgun and later firing another round.
Despite the video evidence, Pizarroz denied shooting the firearm and did not disclose its location to the police.
A search of the vehicle revealed a holster and a spare magazine on the truck’s center front floorboard, but the firearm was not found.
The involvement of the other two males found at the scene remains unclear, as they denied seeing or having the firearm.
Further investigation revealed that Pizarroz had an active protection order prohibiting him from possessing or purchasing a firearm. This order was violated as the video clearly showed him in possession of the handgun.
Pizarroz was taken into the Lake County Jail without incident.
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