Florida man pulls gun on neighbor who reported failure to self-quarantine, cops say

A Hialeah man didn’t take kindly to a neighbor reporting him to authorities for failing to self-quarantine after possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Police say Santiago Paulino, 63, pulled a gun on the neighbor who called the Florida Department of Health on him for failing to remain inside after returning from a trip to New York. Hialeah police arrested Paulino on a charge of aggravated assault. He made his first appearance in Miami-Dade circuit court Thursday, and will be released to house arrest.

New York has been the epicenter of the country’s outbreak of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus that originated in China. As hospitals in New York City have become overwhelmed, the outbreak has killed more than 16,000 people in the city, with thousands more believed uncounted.

Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered anyone coming from New York to self-quarantine for at least 14 days, to stem the transmission of the virus. In South Florida, the National Guard boarded arriving flights to tell travelers to isolate themselves. Highway checkpoints were also set up on Florida’s borders with other states.

Paulino, who lives in Hialeah, had recently returned from his native New York, according to a police report. A neighbor who has known Paulino for years noticed him hanging around the apartment complex and filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Health.

How Paulino found out about the complaint was unclear but on April 15, police said, he found the neighbor and another person in a car outside the complex on the 1300 block of Northwest 53rd Street.

“After expressing how upset he was about being reported, Paulino stated he was going to kill them as he pointed the gun directly at both victims,” according to the Hialeah arrest report. The two victims “fled” the scene, the report said.

On Wednesday, after the victims called police, Hialeah cops went to Paulino’s home. He tried to hide in his apartment but was arrested after a brief struggle, the report said. He admitted to “being on the scene” but denied having a gun, the report said.

Paulino remained jailed on Thursday afternoon. It was unclear if he had retained a defense attorney.

This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 4:10 PM.