Inset: Roberto Ortiz (Shelby County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Tequila Town restaurant located at North White Station Road in Memphis, Tenn. (Google Maps).
When a man was kicked out of a Tennessee restaurant for attacking a woman, he retrieved a gun from his vehicle and started shooting at the employees, authorities say.
Roberto Ortiz, 44, has been charged with criminal attempted first-degree murder, employing a firearm with the intent to commit a felony, and two counts of aggravated assault, court records show.
The defendant remains in the Shelby County Jail on $200,000 bond.
It was May 2, just before 7 p.m., and Ortiz was inside the Tequila Town restaurant located at North White Station Road in Memphis, according to an affidavit of complaint obtained by Law&Crime. Two employees of the business said Ortiz was "hitting" a woman.
They asked him to pay his check and leave the restaurant, but he apparently did not take kindly to the request. Ortiz got upset with one of the workers and allegedly said, "You're going to die."
Another employee reportedly heard Ortiz say, "I'm going to kill you" and "I'm going to shoot you" as he was leaving. The two employees walked him out, and Ortiz went to his vehicle, "retrieved a gun, pointed it, and began shooting" at them, the affidavit states.
The employees "got on the ground for cover" and saw Ortiz drive away in a gray 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe with a Mississippi license plate, according to the charging document.
Memphis police were called, and as they investigated, found nine spent 9 mm casings and "photographed four bullet defects to the restaurant on the west side outside wall near where the victim was standing."
Ortiz was then determined to be the suspect.
The employees also identified Ortiz as the shooter, according to police, who made no mention of anyone being hurt in the shooting.
The defendant was booked into jail on Thursday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.