ROGERS (KFSM) — A Rogers man is accused of shooting his rifle while driving drunk after police found him intoxicated with more than 50 shell casings in his car, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Vicente Garcia-Perez, 35, was arrested Sunday (Nov. 12) in connection with second-degree unlawful discharge of a firearm, a Class B felony.
Garcia-Perez also faces misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and possessing an open container in a vehicle.
Several callers Sunday afternoon reported hearing gunshots near Veterans Park.
Officers patrolling nearby also heard the shots and started to investigate when they saw Garcia-Perez drive by in a red Chevrolet Avalanche, according to the affidavit.
Police watched Garcia-Perez speed through a construction zone before coming to a stop at a house on North C Street.
Garcia-Perez agreed to let police search his vehicle, where they found a Ruger AR 556 and 55 .223 caliber shell casings scattered throughout the car.
Alongside a strong odor of beer, police said they smelled burned gun power inside the car, and both the rifle and shell casings were warm to the touch, according to the affidavit.
A witness later told police he saw Garcia-Perez driving on Monte Ne Road, where he heard five to seven gun shots and turned around to see Garcia-Perez pointing a rifle through his sunroof.
Garcia-Perez, who refused a Breathalyzer, failed three field sobriety tests. He told police he’d only had three beers, but officers found eight empty 12 ounce beer cans inside his car, according to the affidavit.
Garcia-Perez was being held Monday (Nov. 13) at the Benton County Jail on a $25,000 bond. He has a hearing set for Dec. 18 in Benton County Circuit Court.