MIAMI – A Miami man was arrested Monday after being accused of throwing a concrete block at his neighbor following a verbal altercation, authorities said.
According to Miami police, Guillermo Raul Valdes, 62, was arrested after a heated confrontation with his neighbor escalated into property damage and physical altercations.
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It happened around 4:45 p.m. at a home in the 4400 block of Southwest First Street in the Flagami neighborhood.
According to an arrest report, Valdes’ neighbor reported that he was in his backyard feeding his chickens at his home when he overheard Valdes threatening someone and talking through the wooden fence separating their properties.
Investigators said the neighbor told police that he thought Valdes was talking to someone else, to which Valdes responded by saying, “I’m talking to you.”
After the argument ensued between the two men, the victim told police that another neighbor joined the altercation. Police said during the confrontation, Valdes picked up a concrete block and hurled it through the wooden fence.
According to investigators, a neighbor began recording Valdes on his cellphone where Valdes’ mother and sister were seen in the video attempting to calm him down and describing him as “crazy” in Spanish.
Detectives said additional cellphone video showed Valdes picking up another concrete block and throwing it over the fence, hitting the neighbor in the right leg.
Valdes was also caught on camera brandishing a long hammer while lunging toward the fence where the other neighbors were located, according to police.
Following the incident, police located Valdes at the corner of Southwest 44th Avenue and Second Street and accompanied him to his home.
Valdes told police that he and his neighbor were engaged in an argument and claimed his neighbor threatened to shoot him, according to the arrest report.
Authorities said a Miami Police Crisis Intervention Officer arrived at the scene, and Valdes agreed to take his required medication.
During the investigation, officers also spoke with Valdes’s sister, who stated that the neighbor involved in the incident had threatened to shoot Valdes, which made him more agitated, according to police.
According to his arrest report, Valdez faces charges of aggravated battery causing bodily harm with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Jail records show he was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center around 4 p.m. Monday, where he was being held without bond.