‘An act of war': Miami man shot at car, tried to remove American flag, deputies say

A Miami man is facing charges in a bizarre incident that involved him allegedly trying to remove an American flag from a car and opening fire on the vehicle, authorities said.

David Allen Snyder Jr., 33, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, attempted second-degree murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and improper exhibition of a firearm, Miami-Dade jail records showed.

According to an arrest report, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies had responded to the area of the 25200 block of South Dixie Highway for an assault call and a deputy spotted Snyder pointing a gun at the victim’s vehicle.

The deputy told Snyder to drop the gun and put his hands up, and he was taken into custody, the report said.

While Snyder was being placed in the deputy’s vehicle he spontaneously said “this is an act of war,” the report said.

Investigators spoke with the victims who said they were stopped at a light when they saw Snyder trying to remove an American flag attached to their vehicle.

They said they fled to get away from him but he followed them, pointing a gun at them multiple times, the report said.

At one point, they heard a gunshot while they were in the parking lot of a shopping plaza, shortly before deputies arrived and took Snyder into custody.

Inside Snyder’s car investigators found a firearm and a spent casing, and he was arrested and booked into jail, the report said.

Snyder appeared before a judge on Thursday, who appointed him a public defender and set his bond at $18,000. He was also given house arrest with a GPS monitor and curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and ordered not to possess weapons.