Man pulls knife on victim in Miami Publix bathroom because he ‘really needed to use’ stall, cops say
MIAMI — A 72-year-old man was threatened with a knife after a bathroom dispute at a Publix in Overtown, Miami police say.
Authorities reported that the incident occurred Monday morning at the store on 601 NW Second Ave. The victim was in a restroom stall around 9 a.m. when Alfredo Brindis, 72, “entered the restroom frantically and began to bang on the stall door, demanding [the victim] come out,” according to the arrest report.
When the victim exited the stall, he encountered Brindis, who was yelling at him to hurry. The report states that Brindis then pulled a knife and waved it at the victim, allegedly attempting to strike him. The victim reportedly used a large bookbag to defend himself.
A Miami police officer working a store security detail responded to the scene. The officer found Brindis holding the knife and ordered him to drop it. Brindis reportedly told the officer, “I really needed to use the restroom and the victim did not move out of my way, so I took out a knife.”
Brindis, who is homeless, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond as of Tuesday.