Estrella Pereira and Miguel Ruiz allegedly showed up with rifles in the parking lot of a day care in Miami to take photos. They claim they didn’t know the day care was there. (WPLG/YouTube)
A pair of bodybuilders landed in jail after they allegedly posed for photos with rifles in the parking lot of a Florida strip mall which contained a day care.
The Miami-Dade Police Department arrested Estrella Maria Pereira, 50, and Miguel Ruiz, 57, on Monday afternoon on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and exhibiting a weapon on school property, records show.
A mother who was picking up her child at Devon Aire Kiddy College day care called police around 4 p.m. when she saw the a man, later identified as Ruiz, pointing a rifle in all directions, including toward the facility’s door, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by local ABC affiliate WPLG. Pereira took photos of Ruiz as he allegedly posed with the rifle. When cops rushed to the scene, they reportedly saw Ruiz kneeling in a firing position. Cops immediately took the pair into custody. Surveillance video confirmed that Ruiz pointed the rifle toward the day care, the affidavit reportedly said.
Pereira and Ruiz were taken to the Miami-Dade County Jail where they have since bonded out. The two were apologetic and claimed they did not realize there was a day care.
“We’re just in the bodybuilding world and we went to take some bodybuilding pictures, like as strong athletes,” Pereira told WPLG. “I promise, we would never do anything to harm anyone.”
She said she does not live in the area and claimed there was no sign for the day care. However Google Maps images show the name of the day care is in block letters on top of the building along with pictures of items such as backpacks, books and crayons in the windows.
Two people were arrested after they allegedly pointed rifles at this day care. The suspects told cops they were bodybuilders taking photos of themselves and did not realize there was a day care in the strip mall. (Google Maps)
“I would have never, ever done anything so ridiculous as like this, had I known that there were children, or any school in the area, ever,” she told the TV station.
Ruiz said it was a “huge mistake.”
“I’m sorry,” he said “I didn’t realize there was a day care right there.”
Added Peirera: “It’s saddening because it was just a really dumb decision.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
