SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – A man has walked out of jail and is sharing his side of a confrontation at a South Florida gym where he’s accused of some unfit behavior that led him to lash out.
Fifty-seven-year-old Lenin Sanchez bonded out of jail Wednesday, after he was arrested for pulling a knife inside a gym after he was accused of displaying inappropriate behavior towards a couple.
Sanchez is seen on cellphone video holding the knife inside an LA Fitness at 8555 SW 124th Ave., on Monday.
He was then arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday.
The judge, during Sanchez’s court appearance, gave him either house arrest or a $5,000 bond.
“A standard bond. I did see some priors of New York,” said a prosecutor. “Including a prior robbery conviction where he went to state prison.”
He has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Sanchez told 7News exclusively on Wednesday his side of the story.
He said his rage had all started when he was caught checking out another man’s girlfriend.
“The girl, you know, she looked nice,” said Sanchez.
The girl was with her boyfriend, Khuslen Khan, working out, and Sanchez began to record the girl with his phone.
“I just took a quick look,” said Sanchez.
“It got a little bit weird when he pulled out his cellphone and started positioning himself behind her,” said Khan, a day before.
“Any man is going to look, you know, she was a fine girl,” said Sanchez. “She started squatting real nice.”
On the cell phone video, Khan told Sanchez, “Yo, do you mind not doing that for me?”
Sanchez replied, “Oh, but your girlfriend’s fine, bro. What’s wrong with that? I can look at her if I want to.”
“I’m saying, respectfully, you’re making us feel uncomfortable,” said Khan.
Sanchez told 7News that Khan had threatened him after the exchange of words, which led him to…
“I go outside, I come back in and I say, ‘[expletive] do what you say you’re gonna do,’” he said. “I came back with something– yeah.”
The “thing” was a knife. He was seen in the crowded gym and video approaching Khan with it.
Khan had fled to the parking lot and retrieved a pistol.
“I run to my car. I pull out my strap, He [Sanchez] goes, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you had a gun,’” said Khan on cellphone video.
“So he did have a gun,” said Sanchez.
Khan told 7News he never pointed the weapon at Sanchez, only brandished it, and only after he had been chased by Sanchez. He said showing his pistol is what had caused Sanchez to back off.
An off-duty officer happened to be in the area and could be seen on video bringing down Sanchez in the parking lot.
Sanchez is also no longer allowed back at the LA Fitness gym and must stay away from the victim.
“I am just sad that they banned me from LA Fitness,” said Sanchez.
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