2 charged with assaulting Republican canvasser in Florida before the midterms
Two men have been arrested in connection to an assault Sunday of a Republican political canvasser in Florida, alleging that one of the defendants tried to order his dogs to attack the victim.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced on Twitter Monday that "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."
According to the senator, the man "suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery."
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One picture accompanying the Twitter post shows the canvasser lying on a gurney at the scene of the incident in Hialeah, with blood running down his face.
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
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 24, 2022
He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery pic.twitter.com/36QpbySg58
A police report obtained by the Miami New Times provided additional details about the incident.
"Units responded to 140 East 60 St in reference to an assault. Upon arrival [Victim] 1 stated that he was walking around the neighborhood handing out fliers when he came across the defendant who was blocking the sidewalk. Defendant confronted the [victim] and stated that he could not pass through the sidewalk in front of his residence."
"[Victim] proceeded to walk towards the street to avoid the defendant at which point the defendant stated to the [victim] 'You can't pass by here this is my neighborhood,'" the report added.
"[Victim] then stated to the defendant 'this is public property and I can be here if I want to.' The defendant and the [victim] then began to have a verbal dispute at which time the defendant rushed towards the victim to grab him and proceeded to slam him against the floor."
While the report noted the arrest of 25-year-old Javier Lopez for "battery" and "great bodily harm," it added that at least one other person "who fled the scene prior to police arrival kicked the defendant on the right side of his face."
"The defendant [subsequently] began to strike the [victim] multiple times with closed fists on the [victim's] face causing him to have a severe swelling on the right side of his face and his right eye being completely shut from the damages caused by the defendant," the police report states.
The defendant continued to strike the victim in his mouth, which caused "severe swelling and bleeding."
The report didn't provide details about the nature of the fliers the victim handed out.
On Tuesday, authorities arrested a second suspect in connection to the attack, 26-year-old Jonathan Alexander Casanova. He was charged with aggravated battery.
According to a police report, Casanova kicked the victim in the head and was eventually pulled off the victim by a witness. Casanova allegedly went to his vehicle, retrieved two German Shepherds, walked the dogs to the victim lying defenseless on the ground and ordered them to attack. It is unclear if the dogs followed the order.
Neighbors broke up the altercation.
In a sworn statement to police, the victim claimed that Casanova said he could not pass through the neighborhood "because he was a Republican." The victim claims Casanova threatened to shoot him if he continued to walk in the neighborhood. Police say surveillance video corroborates the victim's account of what happened.
The second police report indicates that the victim suffered a broken orbital bone and "nasal/sinus" fractures.
The police reports didn't include the victim's name, but local news outlet WSVN identified him as 27-year-old Christopher Monzon.
Monzon was formerly a member of the League of the South, a neo-Confederate group that supports Southern independence and adheres to a pro-South narrative of American history. In some circles, he was nicknamed the "Cuban Confederate."
Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo, a Republican, issued a statement in English and Spanish on Monday condemning the attack.
"On Sunday evening, on the East side of Hialeah, a political canvasser was brutally beaten," he said. "Freedom of speech is the bedrock of our democracy, and cowardly acts such as this should be condemned by all regardless of individual political affiliation."
"I have spoken to the victim's family, and have pledged a thorough investigation by Chief George Fuente and the Hialeah Police Department in order to bring those responsible to justice," he added. "The investigation will continue until all of those responsible are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
WSVN reported that Monzon was previously arrested in 2017 for "inciting a riot, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and brandishing a weapon" after he charged at people gathered in support of removing the names of Confederate generals from city streets outside the Hollywood City Hall in Hollywood, Florida with a Confederate flag.
In an interview with The Daily Dot in 2021, Monzon, who was running for local office at the time, apologized for his use of racial slurs in the past and insisted that he had withdrawn his membership from the League of the South.
Hialeah is a heavily Hispanic city in Miami-Dade County, the state's most populous county. During the 2020 presidential election, Miami-Dade was reportedly crucial to Donald Trump winning the state.
Rubio seeks a third term in the U.S. Senate against Democratic challenger Val Demings. As of Wednesday morning, the RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Rubio leading Demings by 7.5 percentage points.
The upcoming midterm elections will decide the fate of 35 U.S. Senate seats, including Rubio's, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 36 governorships, in addition to multiple state and local offices.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
