MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A homeless man refused to be discharged from the Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital last weekend and now faces charges after he allegedly assaulted the hospital’s security guards who asked him to leave, police said.
According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Police Department, Junior Romero, 22, is facing charges of battery, making a threat to a public servant and extortion.
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Authorities said Romero was being discharged from the hospital just before 6 a.m. Saturday when he started making threats to staff members while refusing to leave.
As officers with the hospital were called to remove Romero from the premises and escort him out, Romero made multiple threats to kill them, according to the report.
When Romero was about to exit the door to leave the hospital, he turned around and grabbed the identification card that was on the right breast of one safety officer, the report stated.
While trying to detain Romero, another female officer was kicked in her right leg as she tried to gain control of Romero, according to the report.
The female officer then deployed her baton and struck Romero several times to gain control and detain him, police said.
Shortly after, Miami-Dade police officers arrived at the scene and took Romero into custody.
Romero made several more threats to kill the safety officers and said he would remember their faces and come back for them, according to the report.
Romero was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room to be medically cleared, and while waiting to be cleared, he continued to make threats against the officers and the hospital staff, authorities said.
Romero told police that he would remember the arresting officer’s vehicle and when he gets his gun back, he will “murder this unit and his family,” the report said.
As of Monday, Romero was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after having a previous warrant for his arrest on an unrelated charge.