Note: for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office account of the shooting and stabbing incident at European Village, go here. Note as well: the three men were arrested four days later, on March 19, on disorderly conduct charges. The story here.
It wasn’t nine hours since Vassili Mironov had instinctively jumped from his chair at European Village and stopped Daniel Noble from firing an Uzi into the Saturday-night crowd at Europa Lounge, likely averting a bloodbath. “I’m just glad Palm Coast didn’t become famous,” Mironov says.
Perhaps Mironov, 28, ought to be the famous one.
Without a second thought, he had sprung at Noble the second he saw Noble wielding an Uzi assault rifle and threatening to fire it at him and into the crowd behind him around 11:30 Saturday night (March 15). In moments, Mironov had pushed the gun down and yelled out “Gun!,” giving patrons time to scatter as his friends Roman Dubinschi, 23, and Joshua Auriemma, 36, jumped Noble to neutralize him. Noble managed to stab Dubinschi in the arm before Auriemma knocked him out.
The three friends were at Mironov’s father’s house in Palm Coast’s P-Section Saturday morning, bloodied but remarkably composed considering their night. They had just returned from Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach. Mironov’s left eye was in a bandage, still soaking blood. Both his hands were bandaged. He had 14 stitches around the eye, seven stitches on each hand. His t-shirt and jeans were blood-spattered. Dubinschi’s left arm had seven stitches. No bandage for him. Just a lot of Mironov’s blood on his shirt. Auriemma wasn’t hurt, except maybe for a sore set of knuckles, used apparently to knock out Noble during the melee.
There was nothing heroic in Mironov’s demeanor.
“I don’t know, I think anybody would have done the same thing if they’d have seen something like that happening,” Mironov said. He’d spend four years in the Navy. He’d just graduated from a law enforcement academy, where he’d received the sort of training that helped him react Saturday night, he says.
“I’m telling you, I’m amazed at him, man,” Auriemma says of Mironov. “I really believe that God put him there tonight, in that place. He just came out of the academy where he’s been put in scenarios and trained, and if it wasn’t for him, that man had a mission tonight and it was to hurt people. He came with a gun knowing that he was going to hurt people and probably take his own life, and if it wasn’t for someone like him, that jumps on him, you know, this man here, and myself, it could have been a totally different scenario.”
The three men had arrived at Europa late Saturday evening. By then, according to Noble’s arrest report, Noble had been there since 7:30 p.m., with Steven Hensel, a friend of his. At first Noble, a 37-year-old resident of 4 White House Drive in Palm Coast, was pleasant, having a good time, chatting it up. His demeanor changed after his father showed up and the two had a conversation outside. When Noble returned to the bar, he had soured up. He told Tiffany Burckhalter, Europa’s owner, that his father was dying. Speaking to police, his father denied having said that.
It was around that time that Mironov and his friends arrived. “He was belligerent,” Mironov said of Noble.
“Once we walk in,” Mironov says, “you already can see that he’s arguing and being hostile with my lady friend, because I think she rejected him, because she was with another friend, they were sitting together, and he was out of the conversation basically, and he’s giving them dirty looks all the time. Tiffany, the owner, is getting pissed off, she doesn’t have security there. We’re her friends so she asked us, like, can we help her get this guy out. So I started talking to him very politely.”
Noble wasn’t having much of it. “He was in with a friend of his, and basically, we, like five of us, the owner’s boyfriend, he asked me, you know, can we make sure to get this guy outside safely, nobody put hands on anybody,” Mironov said. “He peacefully walked out even though they’re giving us looks like they want to kill us. He was there with a friend, big, Hispanic guy, and I was talking to him very politely, you guys have a good night, maybe it’s not the best time to look for trouble, and he’s giving me like, yeah, yeah.”
“We were there maybe 15 minutes watching a UFC fight,” Auriemma said, “and I introduced myself to another guy that was there and his wife. So I’m sitting there watching the fight, and this guy comes, about this high”—Noble is 5’8’’—“comes walking by me, puts his hand on my chest and says, ‘Get the fuck out of my way, asshole.’ I said ‘excuse me?’ And he’s looking at me and he just keeps walking, so I was like all right, you know what, you’re having a bad night, see you.”
Noble challenged Mironov and the others to go into the parking lot as he and Hensel walked away. Hensel never said much, didn’t show anger or threaten anyone, Auriemma and his friends say. But Auriemma didn’t like the look in Noble’s eyes. “The way he left, I don’t know,” Auriemma says. “Maybe it’s instinct or something, but I didn’t turn my back to the way he left. While we were out there I kind of like stayed and watched.”
Auriemma then went over to Farley’s, the nearby bar, to speak with a friend, and was there about 30 to 45 minutes. Mironov stayed at Europa.
At 11:30 p.m., Noble returned. The police report states that Noble entered Europa by way of the kitchen area at Mezzaluna. Mironov remembers it differently, seeing Noble appear in front of Europa.
“All my friends are basically behind me,” Mironov says. “I have my back turned toward my friends, I was looking at the courtyard and I was smoking a cigarette and all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye he walks up to the gate, the patio gate, dressed in black fatigues, apparently the guy is an ex-Marine, that’s what I found out at the hospital, one of the doctors told me.”
At that point Dubinschi is a couple of tables away from Mironov, among some 10 people sitting in the patio area. Mironov continues: “So I see this guy, he comes in there, I see he’s got an Uzi, it stands out, it’s got a big silencer, like in the movies. It was an Israeli Uzi basically, and I think he had an extended clip, which probably holds 50, 60 rounds, and my first instinct is like–he stops in front of the gate that goes to the patio, that goes to the bar, and I hear him say something, what did he say, ‘Now I’m going to deal with you guys,’ something like that. Remember what he said? He says something threatening and I see him raise his weapon and before he could even raise it I jump on him, you know, I covered the distance like, I don’t know, everything was like in slow motion. I put a death grip on his barrel and I just angled it toward the ground, you know, and I yelled GUN GUN GUN very loudly, and I see people in front of me that are at Farley’s, people just run, scattering, and I hear people behind me scattering, and next thing I know he gets off at least one—I heard one shot but people said it was two. Couldn’t really hear it because of the silencer, people were screaming. And then basically I get the gun to the ground, I push him away from Europa with my whole body, everything, every strength I could muster. And next thing I know, I’m getting stabbed in the face.”
Dubinschi jumps in and wrestles with Noble. Auriemma had his back turned to Europa when the confrontation started. Hearing “Gun,” he turns and runs over.
Mironov: “I wasn’t looking at what [Noble] was doing, I was looking at the barrel to make sure it wasn’t getting pointed at anybody and my friends behind me, God forbid. I guess he let go, he was holding the gun with his left hand, with his right hand he reached behind and pulled the knife out.” The knife is more than a foot long, from his recollection. “I didn’t even realize I got stabbed. I didn’t realize that, but he cut me a couple of more times in my arms. That’s when my friend Roman jumps in.”
“He probably saved me from getting stabbed more times,” Mironov said of Dubinschi . “I already have the gun almost wrestled away from him, he jumps him and gets him in a headlock, that’s how I’m able to fully get the gun away from him. And then my buddy Joshua comes in from Farley’s from across the street, and he gets into the mix. I mean, the gun is already away from him.”
At first Joshua Auriemma mistook Dubinschi’s head as that of the suspect and grabbed it, only to let go when he realized Noble’s head was right next to Dubinschi’s. That’s when Auriemma pummeled Noble and knocked him out. (The three friends also later credited Oleksandr Nikolayev with a significant role in disarming the suspect.)
Mironov is carried away. He realizes he’s got blood gushing from his face. He is on the verge of passing out. His friend, Tatyana Mikheyeva, who happens to be a registered nurse, tends to him. “I could see. I could see. My eye wasn’t damaged. It was that space between my eye and the nose,” Mironov said.
By then Auriemma and others have completely neutralized Noble, who’s out of it. Police and paramedics arrived within minutes and took over.
Patrons would later describe Noble as having been dressed in “Rambo”-style clothes, carrying two hunting knives and the Uzi assault rifle. Auriemma said Noble had a “Scottish or Irish accent, like Bravehart.” But it was Mironov, the man with the Russian accent (and American citizenship) who was more like Braveheart Saturday night.
“What a crazy night,” Mironov said, insisting on understatements.
Anonymous says
This is why I don’t go to the European Village. I have been there in the past and nothing, but fight after fight,car breaks and illegal drug us. European Village has totally gone downhill.
A.S.F. says
It has been reported that Mr. Noble is being held on $60,000 bond. I hardly think that is sufficient, given his actions. Do you think anyone has bothered to disarm this guy or should we just let this fine upstanding American citizen keep his Uzis (which he, no doubt, feels he needs for self-defense?) Watch for the “Stand Your Ground” defense!
[He is being held on $60,000 on the aggravated assault charges. He is being held on no bond on the attempted murder charge.–FL]
That guy says
So happy this ended the way it did, way too close too home, but I have to be that guy and point out that an Uzi is not an assault rifle, it’s a submachine gun, being that it shoots calibers used in a handgun as opposed to a rifle.
Genie says
Thanks, guys. A lot of people owe you their lives. What’s happening to European Village? It began as a nice family environment and now has a very different feel to it, like it’s not wise to be there after dark. I’ve seen groups hanging out in the dark parking lot. Can we get some security over there? If not, bye bye property values and new business.
Palm Coast, we hardly knew you before you were over. I’m sorry, Mr. Manfre, but this is just not acceptable. Not even close.
jc says
Sherriff! Hire that Navy Vet!
rst says
Manfre should hire this guy before someone else does.
Vi Vincent says
Wow … that was wonderful what you all did!!!
I can’t imagine what this town would have been like if the shooter had done what he came to do, there could have been a lot of dead and wounded people if you had not been there!!
True Hero’s and hope that the city recognizes you all for what you did.
A BIG Thank You!!
Stan Bayer says
I dont think the city will recognize these guys at all. Being that two of them are Russian. And who really wants to see foreigners being nominated for anything???? Nobody exactly. If they were native born now that would be a different story…..
THE VOICE OF REASON says
It takes a special kind of courage to hear the word “GUN” and run toward it instead of away.
confidential says
Kudos to the four brave heroes that averted a big tragedy…They deserve our community recognition mentioned in a plaque or medals in a city public meeting. I am sorry for the wounds…and hope a speedy recovery to these brave young men. Thank you!
Harry says
Awesome job guys. Without a doubt the three of these guys definitely saved a disaster from happening by putting their lives on the line. Hopefully that scum will be put away for awhile.
w.ryan says
Great job!!!
ryan says
I hope this guy is made an example of by the system. It sounds like this guy might also have some sort of extremist ties, based on the fact that he was wielding an Uzi and dressed in all black fatigues, which is the uniform of many extremist militias. I hope we are updated about the trial and whether he is convicted or not, and I hope he is convicted.
Will says
Thanks and congratulations to Vassili Mirinov and friends. Hope your wounds heal quickly and completely.
Gary says
Why were there two tow trucks there that night?
James says
Very scary. Thank goodness these young men were fast-thinking, quick acting, and brave. It could have been a very different outcome.
justwondering says
Thank you to these brave men. What can Palm Coast do to honor them?
NO BOOZE says
Close down ALL establishments that serve alcohol. Why do we even allow it. It does nothing but cause DEATH and DESTRUCTION everywhere its served or sold……Sorry, I can’t say these little drunks are any better then the drunk with the loaded uzi. Its all mind altering ZOMBIE state from the consumption of alcohol. The cowards in this country have no courage to remove alcohol and save lives. Plus they make FORTUNES from revenue and taxes….A disgusting racket !!!!
Nimrod says
They tried that back in the 20’s. It didn’t end so well for the prohibitionist and the alcohol still flowed.
Scott says
What a dispicable statement. Get off your religious high horse and thank your fellow citizens properly for a brave and selfless act that saved many people. Thank god they were there and leave the sermon out of it. I echo the other posters that the City of Palm Coast should recognize these men for their actions. This would be a very different place today if not for them.
Vanessa says
A great story of true heros. A awful event that could of been worse and thankfully those men stopped him.
foreigner says
“Auriemma said Noble had a “Scottish or Irish accent”
Seems like this guy has a lot of pent up rage stemming from white slavery inflected upon the Irish/Scottish Irish in America by the British. Bet a lot of you didn’t know that white slavery existed in America and that white slaves were not only called “white niggers,” they were viewed as less valuable that “black niggers” because they were more plentiful AND cheaper to bring over from Ireland and England versus Africa. Interesting reading on the “mulatto” experiment where white women were forcibly made to breed with black men in order to produce the desired “mulatto” slave.
No wonder this guy is angry. Him being a foreigner exposed him to real American history. And it ain’t pretty.
Great book worth reading, ‘White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in America’ by Don Jordan and Michael Walsh.
Be reasonable says
Kudos to Vassili and his two friends. If there were more citizens like them, and more reasonable gun laws, there would be fewer bloodbaths around our nation. To the person who criticized European Village, that complex is just a microcosm of Palm Coast, Flagler, Florida and the country at large. After the rapacious Wall Street financiers’ sub-prime lending practices led to a nationwide crash of property values, the deep decline hit states like Florida worse than others. European Village was a shining star in a Palm Coast, but it was not exempt from ravages of the slump. The demographics of the town changed. There was an influx of different type of people into the European Village, both in terms of the patrons who frequented the businesses, as well as the residents of the units above. However this is true of the whole town. European Village is still the gem of Palm Coast. There are more people that go there on a daily basis for food and entertainment than any of the other complexes in town. That includes Town Center, City Walk, Roma Court, et al. Many of the original business owners and residential condo owners have dug in over the years, worked hard and survived. Many new businesses have started within the last year and that has just added to the charm and vitality of European Village. I invite you to come visit now and see for yourself. The incident involving the unstable man with the gun could have happened anywhere. All around our great nation they are such incidents in schools, universities, street events, churches, temples, synagogues, malls, movie theaters and just about anywhere else you can think of. Did anyone stop supporting the street and businesses in Boston after two evil people exploded bombs there? I think not! So please understand that there are a lot of people who have dedicated their toil, blood, sweat and tears, along with their life savings to open up businesses and invest in condos at the European Village and they need our support. Meanwhile I recommend a parade and some type of official recognition of the three heroes who got involved and most probably stopped a massacre in Palm Coast!
Nolen says
Vassili and me used to be room mates, hes a great guy, and we are both Navy Vets, hes a calm and relaxed person, and he will be rewarded -no matter if he’s from Russia. He’s a great friend and a true hero, him and his friends. He should be honored, it might take a little time but good karma is coming to him…