A man accused of threatening a guest and bothering other customers at a Chili’s Grill & Bar was arrested Sunday by Gainesville Police.
Claudio Zuniga-Enrico, 22, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a controlled substance and disorderly conduct in an establishment.
On Sunday around 4 p.m., Zuniga-Enrico was allegedly seen staring down the victim by a customer and the victim at the Chili’s Bar & Grill at 3530 SW Archer Road, according to the arrest report. The victim said that Zuniga-Enrico went out of his way to try to get to him and the customer at least eight times when they were trying to eat.
Zuniga-Enrico spat on the floor next to him while he walked by and called him a “p----” and asked if he wanted to fight, according to the report. The customer told Zuniga-Enrico that he had a gun.
The customer and the victim said Zuniga-Enrico deliberately pulled up his shirt during one of the times he walked by, according to the report. The victim reportedly saw the black handle of what looked liked a black pistol tucked in Zuniga-Enrico’s pants.
A waitress, who was waiting tables in the area where Zuniga-Enrico was sitting, said she saw him bump into occupied tables which bothered customers, according to the report. She also remembers him walking up the aisle with a knife.
When police arrived, she and other waitresses told them about Zuniga-Enrico’s erratic behavior, according to the report. Both the customer who was dining with the victim and a waitress told officers they saw Zuniga-Enrico with a red/orange handled knife in his hand. The waitress also pointed out the car she thought Zuniga-Enrico walked to when he left the restaurant.
Officers went to the vehicle and detained Zuniga-Enrico after he hesitated to comply to their commands and reached toward his crotch, according to the report. When they asked him if he had any weapons, he said he had none. Officers found a red/orange handled knife from his front right pocket.
When officers asked him several times if he had any other weapons inside the car, Zuniga-Enrico spontaneously said he did not bring a weapon inside the restaurant, according to the report. He also said the victim approached him and threatened him over a dispute about Zuniga-Enrico’s girlfriend. No one at the scene saw the victim go to Zuniga-Enrico.
Officers then found a black semi-automatic pistol from the glove compartment when they were given permission to search the car, according to the report. After finding the pistol, Zuniga-Enrico said he had a concealed weapons permit but not inside his wallet. A records check showed he did not have one. Half a gram of cocaine was found inside of Zuniga-Enrico’s wallet.
Zuniga-Enrico remains at Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $12,000 bond.
Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.org.
