NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A South Florida man is facing felony charges after deputies said he threw two mangos and a rock at his neighbor in a homophobic hate crime.
According to a Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest report made public on Wednesday, the tropical fruit-filled crime happened Sunday after the victim went up to his neighbor, Charles Oliver Lovekin, to inquire about a mango that had fallen onto the side of his patio and made a loud noise.
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Lovekin, 61, owns a mango tree at his home on Southwest 10th Street in North Lauderdale, according to the report.
Deputies said Lovekin became enraged at the man and started calling him a “mother f---er” and “gay.”
The report states that Lovekin then grabbed two mangos and threw them at his neighbor; one of them missed but the other hit the man in the chest. Deputies said Lovekin then threw a rock at the victim, which he successfully dodged.
Deputies said they arrived at the scene and spoke with Lovekin, who told them, “I threw the mangos at him because I thought he was gay.”
“I felt uncomfortable by the way he was looking at me, so I threw the mangos and rock at him,” deputies said he told them.
According to the report, the victim is married — to a woman ― and has children; deputies said he feared for their lives, his wife’s and his own, amid the attack. The report states the victim is taking blood thinners.
Lovekin remained in the BSO Main Jail as of Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery causing bodily harm, committing a third-degree felony with evidence of prejudice and committing a first-degree misdemeanor with evidence of prejudice.
He’s being held on a $15,000 bond as of Wednesday afternoon. A judge ordered Lovekin submit to electronic monitoring and have no contact with the victim.