MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A judge has ruled that a man who was seen pointing a rifle from a balcony in a South Beach condo won’t be allowed to return to the condominium.
The judge’s decision came after lawyers representing the Miami Beach condo association filed an emergency motion to ban Kelvin Veras from the property because of what they described as an “ongoing dangerous, harassing” behavior at the condo.
“The only way to really protect the community was to get an injunction,” said Annie Schneider, a senior associate at Haber Law.
Miami Beach Police officers took Veras into custody at Mirador 1200 on West Avenue in Miami Beach after, investigators said, he terrorized the community.
“He was outside on his balcony pointing the firearm, not only at adjacent condo units, but also at people passing by,” said Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess.
Surveillance footage shows the man being hauled away into an elevator and out the front door by responding officers.
Schneider said that after the Sept. 6 incident, condo residents were panicked, but this decision gives them some relief.
“Obviously, after Sept. 6, there was complete panic and mayhem at the condominium,” she said.
But the chaos at the condominium began long before that, lawyers said.
Veras, who was not a resident of the condominium but had been living with his parents, became trouble for neighbors for months on end.
“It was absolutely terrifying. People were being harassed, people were almost physically attacked,” said Schneider. “He was intimidating women in the elevator, blocking them from exiting the elevator. He was touching his genital area in front of different women.”
Lawyers said that Veras would also post social media pictures about purchasing sniper gear and videos showing him firing a semiautomatic weapon as target practice.
“Not at a shooting range, nowhere legal, and practicing firing bullet after bullet after bullet after bullet,” said Schneider.
Hours before the 911 calls at the condo, Schneirder said, Veras posted a social media photo of his picture next to a rifle.
“It was almost like a memorial,” she said.
Neighbors told police they feared Veras was a danger to himself and others.
Following his detainment, Veras was placed in a mental health unit, but lawyers said they feared what could happen when he is released.
“He would likely try to go back, and that was the entire point of the injunction, to make sure that didn’t happen,” said Schneider.
The judge’s order is temporary, but lawyers hope to make it permanent and keep him away after he is released from the hospital.
Veras remains in the hospital. He has not been charged in relation to the rifle incident.
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