According to police, a man in Florida beat his 75-year-old neighbor with an electric bicycle tire and rim, hitting him in the face, head, and body due to a disagreement over “garbage placement” outside their apartment building.
According to local Fox affiliate WSVN, George Horton, 47, complained about his neighbor, Rodolfo Ortega, disposing of trash at the Normandy Isle apartment building near the 1200 block of Normandy Drive. The alleged attack occurred on Monday, shortly before noon.
Ortega told WSVN and other local media outlets about the alleged e-bike attack, saying, “He tried to kill me,” referring to Horton.
“I tell the guy, ‘Don’t touch me,'” Ortega explained.
“He touched me, and I tried to defend [myself],” Ortega explained, adding that the alleged attack “broke” his head open.
According to the arrest report obtained by local ABC affiliate WPLG, Horton attacked Ortega with a bike tire and rim after the victim brandished a screwdriver “to defend himself,” according to the report. According to the report, the two of them had a verbal disagreement “regarding the placement of garbage” before things escalated.
Ortega told WSVN that he fell to the ground after the attack and sustained lacerations on his head, hands, and other parts of his body. Surveillance footage captured in the area nearby shows the alleged assault taking place.
“I don’t have anything with the guy, no problem,” Ortega said, noting that he greets Horton every day. “Every day I say hi.”
According to the arrest report, Horton was not located until Tuesday morning. Officers patrolling the area allegedly found him at the victim’s front door, “knocking and yelling incoherent statements,” according to WPLG. Horton allegedly had a “strong” odor of alcohol “emitting from his breath” when officers approached him.
Horton faces a felony charge of aggravated battery on a person 65 or older.
Police stated in the arrest report that the surveillance footage “clearly depicts the physical altercation as described” and “corroborates the victim’s account.”
