A woman accused of firing a gun at the vehicle of a fleeing shoplifter in Michigan was charged today with a misdemeanor count of reckless use, handling or discharge of a firearm.
Tatiana Duva-Rodriguez, 46, is accused of shooting at the tires of a vehicle last week in the “misguided attempt to disable the vehicle to stop two reported shoplifters,” at a Home Depot, according to a press release issued this morning by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and the Auburn Hills Police Department.
“If this is proven, I find it very disturbing that someone would take out their gun in a busy parking lot and shoot at the tires of a passing car,” Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said in a statement. “Once fired, the bullet could have easily ricocheted or fragmented and injured or killed someone else. It would have been much more helpful for her to take out her cellphone and shoot pictures of the shoplifter’s license plate.”
Duva-Rodriguez is a concealed pistol license holder and is cooperated with police. The shooting happened in the store’s parking lot around 2 p.m. on Oct. 6 when the store’s security guard was chasing a shoplifter who jumped into a Kia Rondo driven by another person, police said.
The woman is accused of firing shots at the vehicle as it took off, flattening a tire.
Auburn Hills Police Chief Doreen Olko said in the news release: “We do not encourage bystanders to insert themselves into incidents because of the potential for deadly consequences.”
Police later arrested two men, ages 46 and 52, who are suspected of shoplifting.
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