A 24-year-old Kissimmee man has been arrested after allegedly robbing and pistol whipping another man during a marijuana sale earlier in the week.
Osceola County Sheriff’s deputies responded Oct. 7 to a report of an armed robbery on Scott Boulevard and found a male victim bleeding from the forehead. The victim, who speaks limited English and primarily communicates in Uzbek, told investigators he had arranged via text to meet a man at the Sherwood Forest clubhouse to purchase marijuana—a transaction he had done several times before.
During the meetup, the suspect allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim, demanded his wallet and struck him repeatedly with the firearm before fleeing on foot.
Detectives reviewed the victim’s phone messages, which led them to Matthew Aurelius Maldonado, who lives nearby. Reports said when deputies went to the residence, one of the occupants allowed them inside, where a black Glock handgun and suspected narcotics were in plain view.
A search warrant for the home turned up a second firearm—a Matrix Aerospace .300 Blackout AR pistol— along with loaded magazines, marijuana cigarettes, THC wax containers labeled with Maldonado’s name, $495 in cash and the victim’s medical cards.
The victim later identified Maldonado in a photo lineup as the man who assaulted and robbed him. A criminal history check revealed Maldonado is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Maldonado was charged with armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and petit theft. He’s being held in the Osceola County Jail on a $6,000 bond.
