East Hartford gang member faces 7 years for shooting 2 in Hartford
Nov. 23—A reputed gang member from East Hartford admitted in court that he shot two men outside the Taco Bell restaurant on Flatbush Avenue in Hartford last year, causing what their lawyer calls "extremely serious and life altering" injuries.
Armando Perez, 35, who has lived on Hockanum Drive in East Hartford, pleaded guilty last week in Hartford Superior Court to two counts of first-degree assault, court records show.
An arrest report describes Perez as a member of the Los Solidos street gang, but a police affidavit says nothing about any gang-related reason for the shootings.
Perez's plea agreement calls for him to get a seven-year prison term, followed by five years' probation, with the possibility of up to 13 more years behind bars if he violates release conditions, court records show. He is to be sentenced Jan. 13.
Perez was originally charged with one count of first-degree assault, one count of attempted murder, and two gun offenses. First-degree assault and attempted murder each carry up to 20 years in prison.
SHOOTING PLEAS
DEFENDANT: ARMANDO PEREZ, 35, WHO HAS LIVED ON HOCKANUM DRIVE IN EAST HARTFORD
GUILTY PLEAS: TWO COUNTS OF FIRST-DEGREE ASSAULT
LIKELY SENTENCE: 20 YEARS, SUSPENDED AFTER SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON, FOLLOWED BY FIVE YEARS' PROBATION
STATUS: HELD IN LIEU OF A $750,000 BOND AT THE CHESHIRE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION; SENTENCING SCHEDULED JAN. 13 IN HARTFORD SUPERIOR COURT
Connecticut inmates convicted of violent crimes become eligible for parole only after serving 85% of their sentences, which would be almost six years of Perez's likely sentence. Perez has been held in lieu of $750,000 bond since his arrest on Nov. 20, 2020, and he will get sentence credit for that time.
The shootings, reported to police shortly after 5 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2020, came hours after Perez argued with one of the victims because he felt the man was treating the restaurant's female manager disrespectfully, witnesses told police.
One victim suffered gunshot wounds that passed through his right wrist and right leg while the second victim, the stepfather of the first, was shot in the right foot, police say.
Lawyer Gerald M. Klein, who represents both victims, said they were available to testify but weren't "interested in pursuing this in the criminal venue."
"We are not seeking restitution, as I have put both Taco Bell and their franchisee on notice that we intend to look to them for substantial damages," Klein wrote in a text message.
Like Perez, the victim who suffered two gunshot wounds was an employee of the Taco Bell at 485 Flatbush Ave., two Hartford police detectives reported in an affidavit. The victim told police he had gone to the restaurant around noon to say hello to his girlfriend and had argued with the manager.
The victim said an employee he knew as "Beans" came over and threatened him for being disrespectful to the manager.
About 5 p.m., the victim continued, he came back to the restaurant to pick up his girlfriend and talked with an employee who was smoking a cigarette outside. During the conversation, he said, Beans came out and started screaming at him. The victim said Beans went to his car, got a gun, and started shooting as the victim tried to run away.
The incident was captured on surveillance video, which confirms that Perez got something out of his car before the shooting, police say. They say the victim ran away while Perez was shooting at him but fell to the ground as Perez ran to about one-and-a-half car lengths from the victim and continued to shoot at him.
The primary victim's stepfather, who suffered the gunshot wound to his foot, was never within camera view.
After the shooting, Perez ran into the Taco Bell and dropped the gun in the food lobby before leaving the building. Police found the 18 shell casings in the parking lot.
Perez has felony convictions for rioting and possessing weapons, both in a correctional institution, police say.
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