A man arrested on two counts of murder and three counts of assault Wednesday was already wanted by law enforcement, according to online court records.
Abrahem Ahmed Balata, 39, was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on January 15 for a deadly shooting that left two dead and three injured on Garland Avenue in the California neighborhood on December 21, 2024. Arrest documents say Balata went into the detached garage at a home on Garland Avenue and opened fire on the people inside.
One of the three surviving victims identified Balata from a photo lineup, according to his arrest citation.
However, unlike most accused criminals, Balata did not show up for arraignment in jail court on Thursday morning. Instead, he appeared in Circuit Court on other charges involving identity theft and theft by unlawful taking.
That is because, before the deadly shooting, court records show Balata was wanted on several different cases. In his most recent active case, Balata was wanted for escape, after he allegedly cut off his home incarceration ankle monitor in March 2023.
Court documents say he had been placed on HIP by a judge after he bailed out of jail on burglary, theft and identity theft charges, but he allegedly cut off his ankle bracelet and ran. He has been wanted for his numerous active cases ever since.
It is still unclear where Balata was during the time between his alleged escape in 2023 and the shooting in December 2024. It is also unclear how he knew the victims of the deadly shooting in December or why it took so long for police to catch up with him.
Balata is now being held on a $1 million bond. His new arraignment on the murder and assault charges has been scheduled for January 17.
Source: WAVE
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