Teen who shot 3 at Margate barbershop is pulled off flight to Colombia, cops say
.jpg "A teenager accused of firing outside a Margate barbershop was arrested on May 11, 2026, at Tampa International Airport shortly before he was scheduled to take off for Bogotá, Colombia, police said.")
A teenager accused of shooting three people at a Margate barbershop was arrested on a plane at Tampa International Airport shortly before he was scheduled to take off for Colombia, authorities said Wednesday.
Officers went to the Dominican Style Barber Shop, 326 S. State Road 7, after a shooting was reported on the night of May 9, the Margate police said in a statement.
Joan Jose Ferrer Azuaje, 19, of Tampa, went to the barbershop that night and was there during an argument stemming from an illegal business deal over a gun, according to an arrest affidavit. The involved parties moved to the rear of the business to continue their conversation.
“While they were all discussing the matter, things escalated into a heated argument,” the affidavit said.
A witness told police that Azuaje “acted on his own accord” when he opened fire on people standing outside the barbershop.
A 10-year-old boy was inside the barbershop when the shooting happened, the affidavit said. His father was struck by the gunfire. A cellphone in his pocket stopped the bullet from penetrating his leg.
Three people, who police didn’t identify, were shot, sustained non-life-threatening injures and are expected to fully recover, Margate Police Maj. Michael Druzbik said.
Also, four neighboring businesses, including a Dollar Tree and a Florida First Insurance, were damaged during the shooting.
After Azuaje was identified as the shooter, investigators tracked him down on May 11 to Tampa International Airport, Margate police said. He was on an Avianca flight preparing to leave to Bogotá, Colombia.
“The individual was apprehended within the aircraft (in his seat) prior to its departure and taxying on the runway,” Druzbik said via email.
Azuaje pleaded not guilty on Monday to two counts of attempted murder, two counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle, child neglect causing great bodily harm, criminal mischief over $1,000 and discharging a firearm in public, according to Broward County court records.
One of the three people who was shot declined prosecution, resulting in the filing of only two attempted-murder charges, Druzbik said.
Former Miami-Dade prosecutor Bijan Parwaresch, who is representing Azuaje, called this a “very interesting case” that has been misrepresented. Azuaje was on vacation in Miami visiting his family at the time, and Azuaje’s uncle was at the barbershop on the day of the shooting being extorted by local gang members, he said.
The gang demanded a payment in return for the safety of his uncle’s 14-year-old child, Parwaresch said, adding Azuaje acted to defend his family, which is permitted or justified under Florida law.
“I believe he’s completely innocent of these charges,” Parwaresch said. “You should be proud of someone who would protect their uncle.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Margate Police Department at 954-764-4357. The investigation is ongoing.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 7:40 PM.
