TAMPA, Fla. — Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who already faces trial in December on charges related to a relationship with a minor, was arrested Monday in the Dominican Republic following a gun incident.

Franco was involved in an altercation Sunday in San Juan de la Maguana in which guns were fired in the parking lot of an apartment complex. He was detained for questioning, along with another man and a woman, in what police said began as “a heated dispute of a passionate nature,” according to Dominican newspaper Listin Diario.

Franco’s lawyer in the Dominican Republic told the Tampa Bay Times that he hopes his client will be quickly released from the investigation.

“So it is,” said Teodosio Jáquez Encarnación, “and so it shall be.”

Neither the Rays nor Major League Baseball would comment Monday on the latest development.

Videos posted on social media of the alleged incident showed a chaotic scene involving several people; police said they received a 911 call about the incident and arrived amid verbal and physical confrontations.

Juan Recio, a Dominican lawyer and the ESPN writer who first reported the story, told the Times that charges have not yet been filed against Franco because police under Dominican law have 48 hours after an arrest to do this.

“They’re only holding him to determine if the weapon seized is his and if it’s illegal,” Recio said.

It was unclear Monday if Franco had a license to carry a gun or if the weapon at the scene was registered.

Hector Gomez, another prominent Dominican journalist, called the situation “unfortunate” for Franco, who made the 2023 American League All-Star team and was considered one of the youngest players on the rise.

“This is a situation that unfortunately adds to several unfortunate incidents involving Wander Franco,” Gomez said. “There aren’t many details, but it is said that Wander was with a woman who is in a relationship with another man, although these are just rumours. What is confirmed, however, is his detention. This is very unfortunate, as Wander has other pending legal issues with the Dominican justice system.”

Franco, 23, is scheduled for trial on Dec. 12 on charges of human trafficking, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor related to a relationship with a 14-year-old girl that began in December 2022 (when Franco was 21 years old). ). He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Franco has not played for the Rays since allegations of the relationship first surfaced in August 2023. As of mid-July of this year, he has been on MLB’s restricted list and has not been paid the remainder of his 2 millions of dollars. He is set to make $8 million in 2025 as part of the $172 million remaining on his 11-year contract and the $182 million he signed after his rookie season in 2021.

Franco is also being investigated by MLB under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy and could face discipline from the league pending resolution of the legal issues.

San Juan de la Maguana, the site of the incident, is about a two-hour drive west of Franco’s home in Bani, near the capital Santo Domingo. He is free to travel the country pending trial.