L.G. was shot in the back by a black man during the 1980 race riots more than thirty years ago. According to a jury, the incident provoked L.G. to commit a recent hate crime against two black men in Hialeah, Florida. Prosecutors allege that the crime occurred when L.G. saw the men walking through a parking lot in the predominantly Hispanic Hialeah community. Claiming that the men "looked arrogant," L.C. attempted to back his pickup truck over the two men.
One of the men responded by pulling a .22 caliber pistol from his pocket and shooting L.G. in the neck. Prosecutors claim that the weapon was used in self-defense. Yesterday, a racially variegated jury decided that L.G. was guilty of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudice. Prosecutors originally charged L.G. with a more serious crime: attempted murder. Even with the reduced conviction, the defendant still faces 30 years in prison for each count because the act was labeled a "hate crime."
L.G. may face additional prison time because of the 12+ criminal convictions already on his record. "It's a great day for the people of Miami-Dade and justice for [the victims]," said one prosecutor, "As a county, we must be mindful that for some, the wounds of 1980 have not healed and today credit maybe can help us all begin to heal." L.G.'s defender isn't pleased with the outcome of the case. "The two alleged victims got way with shooting my client." he told news repertoires.
"They put a bullet in [his] head and are paying nothing for it," said the defense attorney. According to the defense, L.G. was the victim of "two young hip hop punks," and claimed that the men attempted to rob him. Additionally, L.G.'s defense noted that one of the men was illegally carrying a concealed firearm. The incident ended when L.G.'s truck plowed into a funeral home on Palm Avenue. The alleged victims never reported the crime because they were afraid that police wouldn't believe their story.
Facing any type of criminal accusation is difficult. At Parks & Braxton, PA, we are dedicated to offering clients in Miami and the surrounding area the high-quality legal defense they need, when they need it the most. Our lawyers are well-versed in a wide-variety of criminal defense practice areas, including hate crimes, juvenile crimes, kidnapping manslaughter, murder, probation violations, sex crimes, theft crimes, and a variety of other legal offenses.
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