Cape Coral man arrested after firing gun; claims he tried to disperse brawl

Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
A Cape Coral man arrested on Friday morning after reports that he fired a gun outside a restaurant says he was trying to disperse a brawl.
Ryan Schleiden, 22. Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A Cape Coral man was arrested on Friday morning after reports that he fired a gun outside a restaurant, but he claims he was trying to disperse a brawl in the parking lot.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, Ryan Schleiden, 22, was arrested at around 3 a.m., an hour after they had begun an investigation. At around 2 a.m. on Friday, CCPD officers went to Hurricane Grill and Wings, located at 756 SW Pine Island Road, after reports of someone firing a gun during a large fight between a large group of people in the parking lot. One caller said a white BMW sped away from the scene.

While heading to the restaurant, officers found the white BWW at the intersection of Nicholas Parkway and Southwest Pine Island Road and pulled it over. The occupants had witnessed the incident, and one said she saw an unknown man in a white t-shirt, white shorts, and a yellow baseball cap fire two rounds into the air from a black Landrover SUV.

A black Landrover SUV arrived back at the scene while officers were present, and the man inside was wearing the clothes described by the witness. The man walked to the area where officers were looking for spent casing and picked up a spent .25-caliber casing before placing it in his SUV. Officers spoke to him and identified the man as Schleiden.

Schleiden told officers that Hurricane Grill and Wings was like a second home to him and that he is a patron there almost every night. According to Schleiden, a large fight broke out in the parking lot, starting with an altercation between an unknown man and woman, but he was not involved in it. He says he fired two shots with his handgun from his vehicle into the air, not intending to hurt anyone. He also said that he obtained the gun previously from his grandfather.

Schleiden was placed under arrest and transported to the Lee County Jail. According to the arrest report, he faces a charge of discharging a firearm in public. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, his charges include discharging a firearm from a vehicle and two counts of property damage – criminal mischief.

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