A 21-year-old Tulsa man who committed a shooting outside of a Tulsa nightclub in August pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Jaden Perez pleaded guilty to carrying, using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Perez admitted to firing a handgun at a security guard and injuring him on Aug. 21, 2021, at a nightclub in southeast Tulsa. He faces ten years in federal prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for April 27, 2022.
“Jaden Perez has been held accountable for his blatant criminal disregard for the safety of nightclub patrons and employees when he shot a security guard outside the nightclub. I am thankful that no one was killed in the incident,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners at the Tulsa Police Department and ATF will continue to hold accountable those responsible for gun violence in our community.”
In his plea agreement, Perez admitted that he got into a fight with a security guard as the nightclub was closing. After the fight ended, he returned to his friend’s car to retrieve two firearms, a Kimber .45 caliber pistol and a Taurus 9mm caliber pistol. Perez then ran across the parking lot firing multiple times at security guards and other bystanders, ultimately hitting one security guard who returned fire and struck Perez multiple times.
During the shooting, the security guard felt a pain in his chest when he was struck. Upon examination, he suffered bruising and redness to the left side of his chest.
Perez fled the scene immediately afterwards. Tulsa police officers responding to the shooting conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Perez’s friend shortly after the incident and found Perez in the back seat suffering from gunshot wounds. Perez was transported by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital for treatment.
Perez is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, and the crime occurred on the Muscogee Nation Reservation.
The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang is prosecuting the case.
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