Man strikes victim with a weapon

(Photo Source: Kevin L. Smith/The Cortland Voice).

A man was arrested in the early morning of March 17 after he allegedly struck a victim with a 9mm handgun, according to a recent City of Cortland Police report.

At 2:29 a.m. on March 17, city police were called to the Mobil gas station on Clinton Avenue for a disturbance. According to the report, city officers found four males upon arrival. Two of the males were injured from a fight.

Yusvin R. Perez Perez, the man arrested who’s listed with a New York and Georgia state address, allegedly struck another male with a handgun. The strike “caused a laceration” on the victim’s face. The victim was treated for his injuries at the scene.

According to city detective lieutenant Dan Edwards, the four males met to have “a couple of beers and visit with each other for a couple of minutes.”

“Then they were going their separate ways,” Edwards added. All four males claimed the fight was “over a business deal” that involved a car they sold to each other in Guatemala.

Two males at the scene admitted they “were from Guatemala and admittedly they were in the (United States) illegally,” the report states. City police notified the U.S. Border Patrol of the two males. Both were detained during the investigation and eventually released.

“Border Patrol can’t touch them. Unless they’re a terrorist or a terrorist threat, we can’t do anything. I let them go,” Edwards said. 

Edwards noted that Perez Perez and the victim are “believed to be related.”

According to the report, Perez Perez was arrested and charged with:

  • Second-degree assault (a felony)
  • Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a felony; the charge was for “possession of a loaded firearm with intent to use unlawfully against another,” the report states)
  • Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a felony; the charge was for “possession of a large capacity of ammunition feeding device,” the report states)
  • Criminal possession of a firearm (a felony), due to having a unregistered handgun in NYS

Perez Perez was arraigned and sent to Cortland County Jail on $10,000 bail. He was bailed out on cash “less than two hours later,” the report states. 

Perez Perez was recently due to appear in the city of Cortland court. Further court dates have yet to be determined.