PASCO -- A 31-year-old man is accused of threatening to shoot a security guard and get his cousins to help him after he was kicked out of a Pasco lounge.
Enrique Alvarez-Zepeda of Pasco pleaded innocent to felony harassment for the Nov. 11 incident.
Security guard Jesus M. Yanez called police at 11:51 p.m. about a man with a gun in the parking lot of Mi Lindo Nayarit, 1315 N. Fourth Ave.
Yanez told officers that Alvarez-Zepeda had been causing problems with other male customers inside the restaurant's bar, so he had asked the unruly customer to leave for the night and escorted him out.
But Alvarez-Zepeda came back to the restaurant and was stopped by security. That's when Alvarez-Zepeda allegedly became physical and pushed Yanez.
The guard then wrapped Alvarez-Zepeda up "in a bear hug" and carried him outside, court documents said. That is when Yanez heard the suspect say, "I am going to kill you," documents said.
The men then were talking in the parking lot when Alvarez-Zepeda told him, "I will go get my gun and come back and kill you," court documents said.
Yanez again told the customer to leave.
Five minutes later, Alvarez-Zepeda returned and told Yanez he had his gun and that his cousins were coming with more guns, documents said.
At that point, Yanez took the threat seriously and called police. He told officers he was worried about his own safety and that of the customers.
Alvarez-Zepeda was taken to the Franklin County jail where he was interviewed by officers.
He reportedly agreed to talk and admitted that after he was asked to leave the restaurant he told people that he has cousins, but Alvarez-Zepeda denied threatening anyone, court documents said.
However, witnesses at the bar and in the parking lot told police that Alvarez-Zepeda's statements and actions were consistent with what Yanez claimed, documents said.
Alvarez-Zepeda faces trial Jan. 11. He is in the jail on $10,000 bail, along with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.
-- Kristin M. Kraemer: 509-582-1531; kkraemer@tricityherald.com
