Man Takes Seven Year Plea for Shooting Victim Who Threw Water Bottles at His Car

By Andrew Michaels - January 29, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

A 28-year-old Baltimore man facing nearly 80 counts of attempted murder and various weapons and assault charges pleaded guilty to seven years in prison on Jan. 29 for shooting at seven people who reportedly threw water bottles at the defendant’s car outside Euphoria Night Club last year.

During Monday’s plea hearing, the prosecutor informed Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton that Arlyn Almonte was at the night club at 1301 Ponca Street in the early morning hours of May 21, 2023. Also at the night club was a separate group of seven people, two of whom were kicked out by security.

Upset, some of the group went to the Royal Farms gas station and convenience store at 4820 O’Donnell Street, bought a pack of water bottles, returned to the nightclub and threw them at the security guard standing outside. Court documents state that at some point, multiple water bottles hit Almonte’s car after which the defendant fired a gun at the group’s car, hitting one of the victims in the left arm.

Almonte and his defense attorney, Hunter Pruette, agreed to the prosecutor’s plea offer of 25 years, suspending all but seven years, and three years of supervised probation for first-degree assault, a concurrent five years without parole for firearm use in a felony or violent crime and a concurrent three years for having a handgun on his person. The defendant must also stay away from all of the victims and register as a gun offender.

Pruette acknowledged that his client was scared when everything happened, adding that Almonte recognizes he should have contacted the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) at the time of the incident.

“Mr. Almonte never looks to be in this court again,” defense counsel concluded.

Almonte’s charges included eight counts of reckless endangerment, seven counts of attempted first and second-degree murder, conspiracy to first-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first and second-degree assault, firearm use in a felony or violent crime and conspiracy to commit firearm use in a felony or violent crime, three counts of carrying a handgun within 100 yards of a public place, two counts of having a handgun in a vehicle and single counts of discharging a firearm in Baltimore City, having a handgun on his person and conspiracy to having a handgun on his person.