DELTONA, Fla. — A car sale gone bad ended with an attempted carjacker shot in the leg Saturday evening, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Michael Cintron-Rodriguez, 32, is facing charges of carjacking, kidnapping and possession of counterfeit currency, deputies said, after he tried to steal a Nissan Altima he’d agreed to buy.
The carjacking victim and Cintron-Rodriguez had agreed to meet at the Walgreens store at 1925 Providence Blvd. around 7:30 p.m. to conduct the transaction, according to deputies.
A friend of the victim, armed with a handgun, agreed to go along in a separate car in case the deal went bad. The victim and his friend were connected by Bluetooth devices to speak during the deal.
Cintron-Rodriguez handed the victim a wad of cash that the victim determined was counterfeit. The victim radioed his friend to let him know the deal was going bad, and the friend then approached the car.
That’s when Cintron-Rodriguez hit the gas with the victim still in the car, deputies said. The victim began fighting with Cintron-Rodriguez as he drove.
The friend caught up to the car at the red light at the intersection of Elkcam and Providence boulevards, opened the driver’s side door and shot Cintron-Rodriguez in the leg, who then hit the gas again, deputies said.
The friend ran back to his car and began chasing the Nissan Altima, catching up to it at the intersection of Elkcam Boulevard and Oswego Avenue and wrestling Cintron-Rodriguez out the vehicle, according to deputies.
Cintron-Rodriguez was transported by Air One to Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford where he remained in custody Sunday morning. His bond was set at $750,000, according to the Sheriff’s Office.