Gunfight erupts outside Publix when victim pulls gun and fires back, FL cops say

A man accused of setting off a gunfight at a Florida grocery store has been captured after a week on the run, according to detectives.

Jesus Perez Jr., 23, was arrested Monday, April 7, and faces a series of charges including attempted murder, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 8 news release.

He is accused of being the aggressor in a March 30 gunfight outside a busy Publix in Kissimmee, officials said.

An investigation revealed the incident was a case of road rage that began when one driver sat a few seconds too long at an intersection after the light went from red to green.

“The driver behind him, later identified as Jesus Perez Jr., began honking his horn excessively until the victim began to drive. Perez Jr. continued to drive aggressively as he attempted to get around the victim, who was unable to do so due to heavy traffic,” officials said.

“The victim drove into the Publix parking lot to avoid further confrontation, but Perez Jr. followed him in and blocked his exit by pulling in front of him. Perez Jr. then exited his vehicle and approached the victim, who was still sitting in his own vehicle, and began shooting at him.”

Rather than retreat, the victim produced a gun of his own and began shooting back at Perez Jr. That prompted Perez Jr. to get back in his vehicle and speed away, officials said.

Details of how Perez Jr. was tracked down were not released, but his arrest came with the help of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, officials said. Polk County is just west of Osceola County.

He has been charged with attempted murder, shooting into an occupied conveyance, discharge of a firearm in public and possession of cannabis and phencyclidine (PCP), jail records show.

Kissimmee is about a 20-mile drive south from Orlando.