DETROIT — Two Arab American men are recovering from injuries at Detroit Receiving Hospital after being shot at by a man wearing a Santa Claus suit. The incident occurred at a downtown Detroit gas station around 2 a.m. on Monday. The shooter is in police custody and serving time behind bars.  Saleh Rifai and Amar Aldani, the men recovering in the hospital, are both 29-years-old. 

According to Detroit Police Officer Adam Madera, the confrontation between the men started over an argument about “Santa’s girlfriend, Mrs. Claus.” 

When one of the men ran into his car, the man in the Santa suit, who is only 26-years-old, reportedly feared the other man was going to get a gun; and that is when he decided to open fire. 

One man was shot in the chest and the other in the hand. Two officers who were off duty managed to chase the shooter, who was later arrested by a uniformed officer. The suspect’s name was not immediately released. 

According to a source, Rifai had to undergo surgery while Aldani lost one of his kidneys and is listed in critical condition.

The suspected shooter Marcus Weldon, 26, faces multiple assault charges, including assault with intent to murder, as a result of the shooting, which wounded two men early Sunday. Weldon’s attorney, Gabi Silver, pleaded not guilty on Weldon’s behalf at a hearing on Tuesday.

Silver told Judge Michael Wagner that Weldon was acting in defense of a woman. Silver later told reporters the woman was his co-worker, who was dressed as Mrs. Claus and had possibly been pushed by one of the men.

Silver said Weldon and his co-worker were dressed as the Clauses for a party at the MGM Grand Casino in downtown Detroit, where they both work.

“They were just getting off work, no alcohol was involved,” Silver told reporters. “This was a situation that started off ugly and just got uglier.”