ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 38-year-old man was arrested Monday afternoon after police say he attacked a family visiting St. Augustine from Georgia, leaving one woman shaken and another knocked into the street.
The suspect was taken into custody near the Lightner Museum. and charged with one count of felony battery and one count of simple assault, according to a St. Augustine Police Department incident report dated March 23.
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Officers responded to the area around 4:30 p.m. According to the report, the family was walking northbound on Cordova Street when a stranger approached from behind, grabbed one woman by the neck and shoved her husband in the back — causing him to stumble forward.
When the woman’s sister confronted the man, she says he balled his fists and made verbal threats, causing her to fear for herself and the child she was carrying. Three bystanders intervened, and the man left the area heading southbound on Cordova Street, according to the report.
Officers say they spotted the suspect in the front courtyard of the Lightner Museum — matching the description dispatchers had provided and he was detained without incident.
According to his arrest report, the suspect is homeless.
Investigators also say he has a prior battery conviction from Clay County.