A man who was left paralyzed after being shot by a cop was charged with six criminal counts today in court.
On January 14th, 27-year-old Andel Alvarez was approached by police officers while they were responding to a report of a shooting on Mahogany Street in Punta Gorda. Alvarez reportedly fit the description of one of the shooters, and when PC Luella Whyte told him to stop, he drove away on his motorcycle. Police pursued him but when his motorcycle began malfunctioning, he tried to escape on foot. The officers then reported that Alvarez pulled out a gun and pointed it at them as he was running away. PC Whyte then pulled out her own weapon and shot him in the back of his left shoulder. Alvarez was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital, and officers recovered a 9mm gun with no serial number.
Well, that one shot has left Alvarez paralyzed from the chest down, but that didn't stop police from slapping charges of three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, two counts of gun related charges, and one count of handling stolen goods for the motorcycle, which had been taken from a security guard in PG.
And due to Alvarez condition, his arraignment had to be conducted outside the Coney Drive court, as he lay in the police vehicle. There, Senior Magistrate Tricia Pitts-Anderson read him the six offenses, and Alvarez pleaded not guilty. Pitts- Anderson told him that no bail could be taken, despite Alvarez's condition, but after careful consideration, she decided to grant him bail of $10,000, with two sureties of $4,000 and one of $2,000. As part of his bail, he was placed under house arrest - unless he goes for treatment at the hospital, to court, or to sign in at the PG Police Station every Friday.
