Miami commission candidate accused of threatening man with gun after argument over campaign signs

MIAMI – A Miami Commission candidate was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening a man with a gun during an argument over campaign signs, authorities said.

Francisco “Frank” Pichel, 61, a candidate in next month’s race for the District 1 seat, is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to an arrest report from the Miami Police Department.

The District 1 seat was left vacant following the suspension of Alex Diaz de la Portilla after he was arrested on corruption charges on Sept. 14.

According to Pichel’s arrest report, the alleged incident happened just before 4 p.m. Sunday at an apartment complex in the 3300 block of Northwest 17th Avenue in Allapattah.

The victim said he was placing campaign signs for Diaz de la Portilla outside the apartment complex, and after briefly leaving the area, he returned to find the signs had been thrown down, the report stated.

A witness told the victim that Pichel had been the one who removed the signs and the victim confronted Pichel and asked him, ‘Why are you throwing the signs?” the report said.

Pichel said it “wasn’t him but he could do whatever he wants,” and an argument ensued, according to the report.

At one point, Pichel pulled a handgun out of his waistband and told the victim in Spanish, “I’ll shoot you and nothing is going to happen to me because I used to be a police officer,” the report stated.

As the victim walked away and called police, Pichel followed him until officers arrived and took him into custody, authorities said.

Pichel was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital “due to feeling ill” and later refused to speak with investigators, the report said.

Pichel is a former City of Miami police officer and has previously run for the Miami City Commission but lost.

Sunday’s incident isn’t the first time Local 10 News has reported on Pichel’s run-ins with the law.

In 2021, while Pichel was a candidate for Miami mayor, he was arrested in the Florida Keys for allegedly impersonating a law enforcement officer.

At the time of that incident, Pichel was running for mayor against Francis Suarez, the current mayor of Miami.