A second person has been arrested for taking part in Sunday’s brutal attack on a Republican canvasser who was passing out political flyers for Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Ron DeSantis in Hialeah, Florida.
Jonathan Casanova, 26, has been charged with aggravated battery.
The first man arrested, Javier Lopez, 25, is also facing a charge of aggravated in the attack on Christopher Monzon.
During a hearing on Tuesday, a judge ruled that Lopez will remain in jail until his next hearing on November 14th.
According to police, Lopez and Casanova approached Monzon who was walking on the sidewalk along E 60th Street.
The two men reportedly told him he could not pass them on the sidewalk because he was a Republican.
Investigators say an argument broke out and at one point Lopez reportedly pushed Monzon to the ground and started punching him.
Casanova also kicked Monzon in the head, according to investigators.
According to police, Casanova went to his car and got two German shepherds, and “began to give commands to the dogs to attack and bite” Monzon.
Police say residents intervened and separated the three men.
Senator Marco Rubio has defended Monzon as he was wearing a Rubio campaign t-shirt when the attack happened.
In one post on Twitter, he called the attackers “thugs.” In another tweet on Wednesday, he attached an arrest report and wrote “Local media spent 2 days treating the GOP canvasser who was attacked as a criminal & denying the attack was politically motivated. Now a second arrest, a police report & surveillance video shows how biased & irresponsible the narrative they were pushing was”
“Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans weren’t allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida,” Rubio posted on Twitter Monday. “He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery.”
“Sadly, we get the news and we’re still waiting for details. It’s always important to have details,” Rubio said during a Monday rally, the Miami Herald reported. “We’re not like these other people that always jump to conclusions, but we know this: Someone wearing a Rubio T-Shirt and a DeSantis hat was walking in a neighborhood not far from here yesterday when four individuals assaulted him, broke his nose, broke his jaw.”
President Joe Biden, Democrats, and the media have escalated attacks against Republicans since the Aug. 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago, the Florida estate owned by former President Donald Trump.
Biden labeled Trump’s supporters “a threat to democracy” during a Sept. 1 speech in Philadelphia while Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan urged America to “kill and confront” a movement he described as “extremist” during a Sept. 13 MSNBC appearance.
An 83-year-old woman campaigning against Proposal 3 in Michigan was allegedly shot in the back on Sept. 20 while passing out campaign literature.
In North Dakota, a man who allegedly ran down 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson on Sept. 18, reportedly claimed the teen was a “Republican extremist.”
Visit Tampafp.com for Politics, Sports, and National Headlines. Support journalism by clicking here to our GiveSendGo or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook Here Or Twitter Here.
Copyright 2022 The Free Press, LLC, tampafp.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments are closed.