A taxi driver was assaulted outside a Safford bar early Monday morning after allegedly threatening bar patrons that they would end up like the victim in the 2017 Bull Pen bar shooting.
By Jon Johnson
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article listed the victim as referring to the Jammerz bar shooting in Globe that occurred at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. However, the incident at Shane’s Place in this article actually occurred at 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, and the victim was referring to the April 26, 2017, fatal shooting of Jared Michael Garcia in the Bull Pen parking lot by Salih Abdul-Haqq Zaid. In that case, Zaid was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter. The Gila Herald apologizes for this mistake. The previous article has been deleted.
SAFFORD – A taxi driver was allegedly assaulted outside of Shane’s Place at 609 S. 6th Ave. in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 11 after making a lewd threatening comment regarding the April 26, 2017, fatal shooting of Jared Michael Garcia, 35, in the parking lot of the Bull Pen bar.
In the Bull Pen shooting, Salih Abdul-Haqq Zaid was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in May.
Tragically, two people – Cristi Licano, 44, and Daniel Albo, 22, – were shot to death later on Sunday night in the Jammerz bar in Globe, with a third person – Ashley Sanchez, 22 – later succumbing to her injuries Thursday. A fourth victim, Charlene Peak, 22, is recovering from her wounds. The alleged shooter in that case, Sterling Randall Hunt, 22, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. A fifth victim, Scott Mills, was shot at but was not hit.
In the Safford assault case, an officer was dispatched to Shane’s Place on Sunday morning at about 1:20 a.m. regarding the assault.
According to a Safford Police report, the taxi driver said he was outside of the bar waiting for customers when he “exchanged words” with two Hispanic males who had exited the establishment.
During the exchange, the taxi driver admitted he told the males that they would end up like the victim in the Bull Pen shooting if they messed with him. One of the assailants allegedly said, “That was my brother,” and then punched the taxi driver. The officer reported noticing the taxi driver had a bloody lip and a small knot over his left eye.
The taxi driver said the men left in a white truck but he wasn’t able to give any other information about the vehicle. He said he believed that he was targeted by a rival taxi driver and that the assault was due to a feud between them.
The taxi driver denied medical attention but advised he wished to pursue assault charges. No subjects have been identified in the assault and no witnesses have come forward, so the case remains open.