In Puerto Rico, the San Juan Court postponed a preliminary hearing against Ariel Torres Meléndez, president of the Corporation for the Defense of Gun License Holders in Puerto Rico (CODEPOLA), who allegedly assaulted an elderly man on May 27, 2026. The hearing was rescheduled for November 17 at 1:30 PM after Torres Meléndez’s lawyer reported a health issue that prevented him from attending.
Torres Meléndez faces a charge of mistreating an elderly person after an incident during a debate program on TeleOnce channel, where he allegedly hit the victim in the face and grabbed him by the neck, causing the victim to fall and suffer lacerations on his neck. The San Juan prosecution office decided to appeal the case after an initial preliminary hearing in June did not succeed against Torres Meléndez.