Hialeah

Man with machete killed in self-defense shooting in Hialeah over used tire: Police

"Based on the information obtained by Detectives, it was determined that this was a justified shooting in self-defense," Hialeah police said.

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A man armed with a machete was killed in what police are calling a self-defense shooting in Hialeah early Saturday.

It happened at around 1:30 a.m. in the area of W 2nd Avenue and 29th Street.

According to authorities, 36-year-old Michel Lope Montes de Oca had contacted a mobile tire repair service to fix his car, and he got into an altercation with the mechanic who showed up and started working on his vehicle.

The customer became upset when he checked the tire that was installed on his car and found that it was a used tire, police said.

Montes de Oca "began to verbally threaten the mobile mechanic and at one point, armed himself with a machete and began charging towards the mobile mechanic with the machete in hand," according to authorities.

Police said the mechanic, identified as 29-year-old Brandon Hurst, feared for his life, so he took out a gun and shot at Montes de Oca.

Police said they found Montes de Oca dead at the scene, and took Hurst into custody.

"Based on the information obtained by Detectives, it was determined that this was a justified shooting in self-defense," Hialeah police said.

NBC6 is working to learn more about this deadly shooting.

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