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Gay South Florida Man Says Assault Outside of Home Was Hate Crime

James Garcia was walking his dog when a stranger approached him and asked “Are you gay?” before proceeding to assault him.

A South Florida man is alleging that he was the victim of a hate crime after being assaulted outside his home because of his sexual orientation. James Garcia, who is gay, was attacked early last Sunday morning while taking his dog for a walk. Garcia heard a stranger yelling near him before the attack took place. “He came up to me and asked me, ‘Are you gay?’ and then punched me,” said Garcia. Fort Lauderdale police arrested Maurice Antwan Charles on Tuesday in connection with the assault. Charles has multiple aggravated battery cases on his record and was released from a stint in prison just last December. The attack left Garcia in need of multiple stitches on his forehead and above the lip and also fractured the cartilage on both sides of his nose. Garcia was adamant that the attack was a “crime of hate.” “I do think about it every day,” said Garcia. “I think about the attacker when I close my eyes. I can hear his voice, so those wounds will take time to heal.”