An Uber Eats driver delivering food to a Southwest Miami-Dade apartment complex early Monday ended up grazed by a bullet, pistol-whipped, and fleeing for his life after striking up a conversation with a woman he hoped to see again, according to investigators. The man accused of pulling the trigger, 33-year-old Khuslen Saruultuya, was later found with a cache of narcotics, cash, and what deputies describe as a makeshift drug-packaging lab inside his own apartment.
The shooting unfolded outside the Pearl Dadeland Apartments at 7440 N. Kendall Drive, according to Local 10 News. The driver had met a woman outside the complex's main lobby while making his delivery and became interested in her, investigators said, according to WSVN 7News. About 50 minutes later, he returned to the property hoping to see her again and possibly get her phone number, the station reported.
That is when Saruultuya allegedly confronted him while driving a gray Corvette, pointing a gun at the driver and ordering him to lie on the ground, per the arrest report cited by WSVN. Saruultuya then allegedly fired a shot that grazed the driver's right buttock and struck him in the back of the head with the gun, causing a two-inch wound, while also threatening to kill him, investigators said.
Driver Chased Around His Own Car Before Fleeing
The driver managed to escape and was chased around the Corvette while Saruultuya pointed the gun at him, according to the arrest report. The woman yelled for Saruultuya to stop during the chase. He then drove himself away from the complex and sought treatment independently at a hospital. Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies had responded to the apartment complex just after 3:30 a.m. Monday after receiving reports of a gunshot, where a bystander said an argument had occurred minutes earlier, Local 10 reported.
South Miami Police officers later notified Miami-Dade deputies that the injured driver had arrived at Baptist Health South Miami Hospital with a gunshot wound, per Local 10. WSVN reported that the driver received treatment for his injuries at the hospital after escaping the scene. Deputies ultimately identified Saruultuya through witness information gathered at the complex.
Apartment Search Turns Up Drugs, Cash and an Alleged Packaging Operation
Saruultuya was taken into custody at his Southwest Miami-Dade apartment Monday evening without incident, according to WSVN. A subsequent search of the apartment turned up suspected cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, and hundreds of prescription pills, the station reported. Investigators also said they found a room used as an office or laboratory where narcotics were allegedly mixed, portioned, labeled and packaged.
Local 10 reported that deputies found two bags of tusi — a synthetic cocktail known as pink cocaine — and 16 Cialis pills during a cursory sweep, expanding the scope of substances recovered beyond what was initially reported. Deputies also seized approximately $11,394 in cash that investigators believe is connected to drug sales, according to WSVN.
Charges and Potential Penalties
Saruultuya, a native of Mongolia, is now booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center facing nine felony drug trafficking charges alongside attempted murder and aggravated battery charges, Local 10 reported. Separately, WSVN reported that he faces charges of attempted felony murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon tied to the shooting, along with multiple drug trafficking and controlled substance offenses stemming from the apartment search. Bond had not yet been set as of Tuesday morning.
Under Florida Statute § 782.051(1), attempted felony murder involving an intentional act that could cause death during an underlying felony is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life imprisonment, according to the Florida Legislature's official statutes. Separately, Florida Statute § 893.135 mandates minimum prison sentences and steep fines for drug trafficking charges based strictly on substance weight, regardless of whether intent to distribute is proven, per a legal analysis published by Mirer Law. Florida judges cannot sentence below those mandatory minimum floors without a substantial assistance agreement.
Pearl Dadeland is a luxury apartment complex.
