Felon Accused of Attacking Gay Man in Ft. Lauderdale In Hate Crime
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A convicted felon is accused of punching a man in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for being gay Sunday morning.
James Garcia said he was walking his dog on Sunday morning in Fort Lauderdale when a man he had never seen before approached him and asked him if he was gay.
Garcia said that after responding in the affirmative the man attacked him. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department arrested Maurice Antwan Charles on Tuesday.
Garcia says: “He punched me really hard. I fell to the ground bleeding. My phone was covered in blood. I couldn’t call 911. My fingers kept slipping.”
The Florida Department of Corrections released Charles, 36 from prison on Dec. 14, 2021, records show. Charles was convicted of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in 2017 in Miami-Dade County. He also had an aggravated battery case in 2008.
The attack on Saturday was near State Road A1A and Oakland Park Boulevard. Garcia suffered two fractures on cartilage. He required 10 stitches.
Watch the video below.
