Pebble Hills senior charged with aggravated assault after fight with off-duty Border Patrol agent outside El Paso restaurant
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- According to court documents newly obtained by ABC-7, 17-year-old Brandon Perez is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was arrested by El Paso police officers after a fight in the parking lot of El Cometa on the 9500 block of Viscount in east El Paso on May 13, 2023.
Court documents state the victim, 38-year-old Matthew Ross, an off-duty Border Patrol agent, grew concerned when he was in line at El Cometa and saw Perez standing outside the restaurant holding a gun.
Ross told law enforcement officials that other people in the restaurant saw the gun as well and started hiding under tables. According to court documents, Ross says he walked outside and confronted Perez, trying to get the gun away from him.
During the fight that followed, Ross was shot once. The bullet hit his shoulder and he was later taken to the hospital for treatment. His injuries were classified as non-life threatening.
A friend of Perez later told police he and Perez drove to El Cometa to confront the friend's girlfriend. The friend told police that he went inside to check his girlfriend's cell phone. Once he finished, he told police he took his girlfriend to his car so that they could continue arguing.
While Perez's friend was sitting in the car, he told police he heard gun shots, then saw Perez get in the car. Perez then allegedly told the friend "let's go," and the friend drove off, according to court documents. The friend told police Perez threw the gun out of the car window near the Trawood area.
Perez is a student at Pebble Hills High School, according to court officials. His lawyers requested that he be released on a personal recognizance bond. A magistrate judge lowered Perez's from $150,000 to $100,000. According to the latest information, Perez remains in custody.
