Three teens arrested in paintball gun shooting of off-duty deputies on a run
.jpg "Three teens were charged in the paintball shooting of off-duty Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies on a run on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.")
Three men were arrested on felony charges accused of shooting a paintball gun at off-duty officers who were on a run Saturday in Homestead, according to a police affidavit.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies responded Saturday afternoon to the area of Southwest 312th Street and 137th Avenue after three officers were shot with a paintball gun, the affidavit said, which detailed the alleged chain of events:
While the officers were on a run, a truck drove by “at which time they heard what resembled gunshots.”
“The victims then realized that they were being struck by paintballs.”
The truck drove off. One officer said he recalled seeing the truck earlier.
Deputies saw the officers had visible paint splatter on them, and two of them sustained minor injuries but declined medical treatment.
Officials issued a “be on the lookout” alert for the truck, and it was later found with the three men in the truck.
Brandon Unzueta, 19, and Miguel Almanza, 18, are accused of three counts of shooting a deadly missile and three counts of battery, the affidavit said. Romeo Martinez, 18, is charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Unzueta admitted to firing the paintball gun during an interview with law enforcement, but he stated he did not know they were officers until after seeing a thin blue line emblem on one of the officer’s shirts.
Almanza, who was apparently the driver, was aware of the shooting and believed the victims were officers.
“However, he still chose to leave the scene.”
Martinez told deputies he concealed the paintball gun under the back seat afterward.
All three men had bonded out of the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center as of Monday evening, according to jail records.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 6:48 PM.
