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TAMPA — Two brothers of a man slain in 2006 while trying to take his car from a towing company owner told a jury they remembered the red laser beam from the owner's gun trained at their own heads.
What started as a minor dispute over the fairness of a tow eroded into a life-or-death struggle — with a gun sight beam shifting from potential target to target. When it ended in gunfire, Glen Rich, 30, was dead and towing company owner Donald Montanez was charged with second-degree murder.
On Wednesday, the two brothers testified they had flown in from New York for a family reunion. They celebrated with brother Glen Rich at an after-hours club called the Sugar Shack. Their car was towed from Bonacker Drive near Hillsborough Avenue while they were in the club.
The trouble started when they tracked their car to a nearby lot where it was about to be transferred onto a flatbed truck.
Brother Ernest Rich said he first thought the beam came from a Taser. He said he realized it was a gun when Montanez pointed it at Glen Rich's back as he walked to his car.
"I'm yelling, 'He's got a light on your back.' ''
Ernest Rich said Montanez then pointed the gun at him. "He brings it up to my eyeball. I'm saying, 'Chill! Chill.' "
At that point, he said, Glen Rich had reached his car, started it and was speeding through the lot. Ernest Rich said he heard a gunshot and began running. "I thought (Montanez) was going to shoot me next."
The third brother, Celester Rich, said he also heard the gunshot, then realized the red beam was pointed at him.
"(Montanez) had it aimed at my head. He said, 'Your buddy's in trouble now.' "
Both Ernest and Celester ran from the lot and found Glen Rich mortally wounded at a nearby gas station.
Montanez's attorneys contend that Glen Rich had tried to run the towing company owner down with the car as he sped from the lot.
The trial continues today before Hillsborough Circuit Judge William Fuente.
John Barry can be reached at (813) 226-3383 or jbarry@tampabay.com.
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