Charging Docs: Dundalk man arrested after shooting juvenile who allegedly stole his van
BALTIMORE -- A 39-year-old man has been arrested for shooting a juvenile while they were allegedly trying to steal his van, according to charging documents.
Jose Bautista, 39, awoke to the sound of his dog barking in the early hours of July 4 and realized that someone was breaking into his van, court records show.
When he went outside, he found two people driving off in his van and shot at them, per court records. His private video surveillance system captured the incident, according to the charging documents.
That surveillance system allegedly shows Bautista exiting his home and using his privately owned gun, which briefly malfunctioned, per court records.
Bautista told officers that he shot at his van because it was being stolen. Officers were able to recover the gun he used that night along with four 9-millimeter cartridge casings and two live 9-millimeter cartridges, which they found in his front yard, according to charging documents.
He said he had an AirTag tracking device inside of the vehicle that would allow him to follow it wherever the thieves took it, per court records. The AirTag revealed that the van was in the area of North East Avenue in Baltimore.
Detectives from the Dundalk Investigative Services Unit were able to find Bautista's van. They noticed a Baltimore City officer on patrol in the area and asked that officer for assistance recovering the van, according to charging documents.
The officer informed the detectives that he was supposed to keep an eye on the van because a juvenile male with a gunshot wound had been found near Bayview Medical Center, per court records.
Also, the van had been struck by gunfire multiple times, and blood stains were visible on its driver's seat, per court records.
Charging documents show that the juvenile told officers a different story, saying that he was near the intersection of North East Avenue and Orleans Street when he was struck by gunfire.
Investigators noted that the juvenile's physical description and clothing description matched that of one of the individuals seen stealing Bautista's van, per court records.
During his conversation with investigators, Bautista noted that he continued to shoot at his van after it left his property "in a reckless manner" because he "was not thinking properly," according to charging documents.
After the shooting, Bautista returned to his home and asked his wife to contact the police about the stolen van, per court records.
Bautista has been charged with first-degree and second-degree assault along with other firearms-related charges, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.
He is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bond, police said.
