Florida Man Accused Of Trying To Run Over LGBTQ Jogging Group Claims So-Called “Gay Panic Defense”
Out South Florida reports: According to the probable cause affidavit, the suspect — 43-year-old Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud — confessed to driving toward the runners and told detectives he became “offended and enraged” after being approached by a male member of the group. He claimed he believed the man was “making sexual advances toward him” … The post Florida Man Accused Of Trying To Run Over LGBTQ Jogging Group Claims So-Called “Gay Panic Defense” appeared first on Joe.My.God..
Mark
Out South Florida reports:
According to the probable cause affidavit, the suspect — 43-year-old Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud — confessed to driving toward the runners and told detectives he became “offended and enraged” after being approached by a male member of the group. He claimed he believed the man was “making sexual advances toward him” and said he found the perceived interaction disrespectful.
Detectives noted that El Mahmoud initially expressed no remorse before later saying he was “sorry but not regretful.” According to the court filings, prosecutors argue “The facts and circumstances support a conclusion that the defendant’s actions demonstrate prejudice against the victims and the group based on their sexual orientation.”
El Mahmoud has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of reckless driving. The case remains under review for a potential hate-crime enhancement. He remains in custody while the investigation continues.
From our previous report:
West Palm Beach police arrested a man Monday night, accused of using his SUV to try to run down a running club multiple times. Witnesses say the driver attempted to run them down three times before speeding away. Rudolph Galindo, a member of the Night Runners, an LGBTQ run club, believes he was the initial target.
“He got into his car, pulled out, accelerating, pedal to the metal and coming right at me where I was standing,” Galindo said. Galindo and the other 40 members of the club ran for the trees for protection.
Cell phone video of the incident shows the man hop a curb, drive through the grass onto Okeechobee Boulevard and into downtown. It didn’t take police long to find and arrest the man, identified as 43-year-old Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud.
Galindo says that he merely asked the man if he was there to join the jogging club. It’s not yet known if the so-called “gay panic defense” will raised at trial, if it comes to that. According to the Movement Advancement Project, gay panic defenses are presently banned in 20 states and Washington DC, but not in Florida.
The post Florida Man Accused Of Trying To Run Over LGBTQ Jogging Group Claims So-Called “Gay Panic Defense” appeared first on Joe.My.God..
