2 arrested after venue owner waves gun at wedding reception
Two men ended up behind bars after a wedding reception at a tranquil venue in Southwest Ranches devolved into chaos when the owner allegedly waved a gun at the guests and demanded that they leave.
Miguel Rodriguez-Albisu, 58, of Southwest Ranches and owner of Cielo Farms, and Christian Sergio Rafart, 31, of Davie, appeared before a Broward County judge over the weekend. Rodriguez faces nine counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to court records.
Rafart was charged with four misdemeanors, including the striking of another person and resisting a police officer.
According to complaints filed by officers from the Davie Police Department, the incident occurred last Thursday evening shortly before midnight. Several officers were dispatched to Cielo Farms at 4680 Volunteer Road by a 911 caller who reported a person was waving a gun at wedding guests.
Witnesses, according to one of the police reports, told officers that a dispute arose over the time the event was to end. Rodriguez and Rafart, who was identified as a son of Rodriguez by one of the victims, demanded that the event end at 11 p.m. But the rental agreement named the end point as 11:30.
The names of the people who said they were threatened are redacted from the reports.
But Officer Jose Nunez wrote in his report that one of his fellow officers, Dillon Loyek, retrieved a video of the incident from one of the guests.
Several demands to leave
In the video, Nunez said, Rodriguez can be seen “holding a silver revolver in his right hand” and a brown pouch in the other.
“Miguel is seen pointing the revolver at multiple people toward the DJ booth,” Nunez said. “As Miguel pointed and waved the weapon around, he continuously yelled, ‘get out,’ and ‘get out of my property.’”
He also allegedly pointed the weapon at a female guest who sought to “de-escalate’ the situation, Nunez said.
“As Miguel is seen walking toward the front of the room, you can hear people screaming and yelling, which sounded like they were in fear for their life,” Nunez wrote.
He said fellow officers collected sworn statements from other unnamed individuals who said they felt threatened.
At one point during the argument, a female guest was “violently punched” in the face and knocked over a table to the floor, according to the report filed by Loyek. The woman was taken to a hospital where she was treated for a contusion.
A telephone call placed to Cielo Farms went unanswered early Monday.
Rodriguez, who appeared in bond court on Saturday, is out of jail. Rafart was reportedly still incarcerated on Monday.
Court records do not show the names of defense attorneys representing either man.
State corporate records show that Cielo Farms was formed as a business in 2021. On its website, the company offers use of its facilities for anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the day of the event and the services rendered.
