Sweetwater Man, 25, Found With Gun, Nunchucks Near FIU After Battery Report

A 25-year-old Sweetwater man is facing felony weapons charges and a battery count after officers say they found him carrying a gun and a pair of nunchucks, and later determined he had no legitimate reason to have them on school property. Gabriel Alarcon was arrested Friday, August 21, and booked under case number F26016697, with bail set at $3,500 covering two counts tied to the weapons and a separate battery allegation.

According to NBC 6 South Florida, officers found Alarcon at 11031 SW 3rd Street, an address that sits in Sweetwater, a dense western Miami-Dade County municipality in the 33174 ZIP code, per the arrest report. That block runs directly alongside Florida International University's main Modesto A. Maidique Campus, headquartered at 11200 SW 8th Street, according to Florida International University. The arrest report does not identify which school property is tied to the weapons charges, and it remains unknown whether Alarcon had any affiliation with a school in the area.

How Officers Connected Alarcon to the Case

The station's report says Alarcon was detained after officers determined he matched the description in a Need to Identify flyer distributed by email over a week earlier, on August 13. Those internal bulletins are a routine tool law enforcement agencies use to circulate suspect descriptions and incident details to patrol units following unsolved battery or assault complaints, allowing officers who encounter a person during a routine stop to connect them to an open investigation, per NBC 6 South Florida.

That flyer stemmed from an earlier accusation that Alarcon battered a woman, per authorities. Officers had responded and met with the alleged victim, who accused him of touching her leg, foot and calf against her will. When officers ultimately located and detained Alarcon, the arrest report states he had a firearm and a pair of nunchucks in his possession.

Why the Weapons Alone Trigger Felony Charges

Authorities determined Alarcon possessed the weapons without a legitimate reason while on school grounds, and he was charged with two counts of possessing a firearm or weapon on school property along with battery. Under Florida Statute § 790.115, that offense is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison, five years of probation and a $5,000 fine per count, according to the Florida Senate.

Notably, the statute operates as a strict liability offense, meaning prosecutors do not need to prove Alarcon intended to use either item or cause harm on campus, per Galanter Law. Simply knowing he possessed the gun and nunchucks while on school property is enough to support the felony charges. Handheld martial arts items like nunchucks fall under Florida's broader statutory bans on unauthorized weapons at educational sites, alongside firearms, as Hoodline has previously reported.

The separate battery charge stems from the accusation that he made non-consensual contact with the woman's leg, foot and calf. Under Florida Statute § 784.03, simple battery involving intentional, non-consensual contact without serious injury is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to 364 days in county jail and a $1,000 fine, according to the Florida House of Representatives.

What Happens Next in the Case

Alarcon is being processed through Miami-Dade's standard felony pipeline. Arrestees facing felony charges in the county go through the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where prosecutors under Eleventh Judicial Circuit procedures must formally file charges within 21 days of arrest, Hoodline has reported. That window means it could still be weeks before Miami-Dade prosecutors decide whether to formally pursue the felony counts against him.

Alarcon's arrest follows a string of school-zone weapon cases across Miami-Dade this month, including an incident at Miami Central High School where officers discovered loaded firearms inside a vehicle parked on campus grounds, Hoodline has reported. Open questions remain in Alarcon's case, including which specific school property was involved and whether he had any connection to it.