FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A man who is under investigation for a possible hate crime in Broward County has a documented history of violence in Miami-Dade County, records show.
The Florida Department of Corrections released Maurice Antwan Charles from prison on Dec. 14, 2021. About four months later, he was back behind bars at the Broward County Main Jail. Officers arrested the 36-year-old convicted felon, who is known as “Big Jit” and “Big Youngster,” on Tuesday for a battery in Fort Lauderdale. He remained in jail on Wednesday afternoon.
In Miami-Dade, Charles has a history of violence that goes back to an aggravated battery in 2008 and an aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in 2017. Other arrests include marijuana possession in 2007 and an out-of-state fugitive warrant in 2009. In Broward, there was a strong arm robbery case.
‘HOMOPHOBIC’ ATTACK
Officers identified Charles as the man who injured James Garcia on Sunday morning in Fort Lauderdale. Garcia said he was the victim of a homophobic attack.
“I am very concerned about the level of violence alleged in this case,” a prosecutor said during bond court Wednesday.
Garcia said he was walking his dog near State Road A1A and Oakland Park Boulevard 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 quickly chose violence.
“He punched me really hard. I fell to the ground bleeding,” Garcia said. “My phone was covered in blood. I couldn’t call 911. My fingers kept slipping ... I asked for help but a person just kept walking. Thankfully another person from the neighborhood stopped [and] called the police.”
Garcia suffered two fractures on cartilage. He required 10 stitches. He said he is recovering from his physical injuries but his mental health has suffered too.
“When I close my eyes I see this attacker everyday day. I hear his voice. I see his face,” Garcia said about four days after the attack.
Detectives are still investigating the case, so it is still unclear if Broward County prosecutors will be charging Charles with a hate crime. His bond on the battery charge was set at $15,000.
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