Broward DUI Lawyer Blog

In a strange case, a man now faces attempted murder charges in Fort Lauderdale after police say he caused a driver who was trying to escape his attack to hit a pedestrian, who lost a leg in the crash, the Sun Sentinel reports.

The 18-year-old now faces up to life in prison if convicted of the odd attack that authorities said he was responsible for provoking.

Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys have seen many pieces of strange news come out of South Florida in the last few decades. They tend to get a lot of media coverage, which can be negative for the defendant.

Extensive media attention can often lead to a biased jury, as prospective jurors are reading the newspaper and watching television news on a daily basis. What's talked about far less, is it can lead to a biased judge or a prosecutor who is particularly set on seeing a defendant serve time. But an experienced Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney can sometimes use the media to the advantage of the defendant.

In this case, according to the Sun Sentinel, the 18-year-old allegedly started yelling at two people outside a Fort Lauderdale market, threatening them and asking what they were doing in the man's neighborhood.

Police say the two people got into their vehicle, but the teen started kicking the car and then forced his way into the car. He then allegedly started attacking one of the people in the back seat. Then man also had a brick that he allegedly threw into the windshield, shattering it.

In an attempt to get away from the man, police say the alleged victims began driving off when the man allegedly tried to throw another brick. In the ensuing mayhem, the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed.

The driver's car pinned a man against a light pole and after being rushed to the hospital, the man's leg had to be amputated above the knee. Police say the teen then fled the scene, but they were able to identify him through the victim's testimony.

Along with a charge of attempted murder, the man faces charges of burglary with assault or battery, throwing a missile into a dwelling and criminal mischief. A Broward County judge ordered the man held without bond.

This is certainly a horrific set of facts, especially for the man who lost a leg as the result of an accident. But what will be interesting to see is what other witnesses at the scene said happened. It's unclear from the article where exactly this took place, but presumably there were others around when the incident happened.

It's possible there was some provocation from the alleged victims that led to the confrontation. And it's certainly possible that there was some overstating of facts about what happened inside the vehicle.

This case will certainly get more interesting as it moves on and it's likely the man's Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer will persist in getting all the facts of the incident and not just what police said happened in their initial summary.