Opinion ID: 77401
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 43rd Street Shooting

Text: 25 On April 13, 1996, a number of Miami officers chased suspect Steven Carter (Carter) after a woman's purse was snatched. Appellants Aguero, Beguiristain, Garcia, and Quintero were involved in the chase, as were non-party Officers Mervolion, Acuna and Williams. 7 During the chase, Appellant Aguero fired his weapon without striking Carter. Officer Mervolion eventually found and arrested Carter where he was hiding in a shed, unarmed. 26 According to Officer Mervolion's testimony at trial, Appellant Beguiristain, after the arrest, told Mervolion that they would need that gun, alluding to a weapon Appellants Aguero and Quintero had stolen during an unrelated arrest. At Appellant Aguero's request, Officer Mervolion had kept the stolen gun in his police car, and he handed it over to Appellant Beguiristain to plant. After planting the gun under a tree, Appellant Beguiristain used his police radio to announce that he had found a gun on the scene. Appellant Aguero then directed the investigating officer to the gun, where Appellant Beguiristain had hidden it under some leaves. 27 On April 13, 1996, Appellant Aguero gave a sworn statement to investigators stating that during the chase, Carter turned in his direction and pointed a gun at him. On the same day, Appellant Beguiristain gave a sworn statement in which he claimed that after Carter was arrested, he found the gun underneath the pile of leaves.