Florida driver arrested after allegedly trying to strike LGBTQ running club with car: Police
A Florida driver was arrested after allegedly trying to hit members of an LGBTQ running club with his vehicle at a local park, according to the West Palm Beach Police Department.
Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud, 43, was arrested on Monday evening for "attempting to strike members of a local running club at a park, making multiple passes and driving recklessly before fleeing," police said in a press release on Tuesday.
Police responded to the scene at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Monday, and upon arriving, "met with members of a local LGBTQIA+ running club" who reported an individual allegedly driving a Ford Bronco SUV and "intentionally" trying to strike the group with his car, officials said.
Witnesses told officers the individual -- later identified as El Mahmoud -- had "accelerated toward the runners, making a second attempt to strike them, he then drove recklessly along sidewalks, through grass, and up an embankment before fleeing eastbound," police said.
Upon further investigation, officials learned that El Mahmoud "became upset over a perceived comment by a male member of the running club, leading to his agitation and subsequent actions," police said.
The running club was identified as Night Runners WPB, which hosts walks and runs every Monday and Thursday night, according to ABC West Palm Beach, Florida, affiliate WPBF.
Rudolph Galindo, who has been a part of the club since its start nine years ago, told ABC News the suspect's car was heading right toward him after he asked El Mahmoud if he was there for the running group, which he said "bothered" the suspect.
"As I was talking to a few others, I saw out of the corner of my eye that he got into his car and then started accelerating in reverse directly toward me where I was standing in the parking lot," Galindo said, describing the incident as a "traumatic experience."
Galindo, 41, said he then began yelling at the 40 other runners in the area to clear out of the parking lot, with many hiding behind trees.
Seeing the suspect's car barreling toward the runners, Galindo said he believes the vehicle could have been traveling at a speed of 60 to 80 mph.
"He definitely had his foot down on the gas, full pedal to the metal," Galindo said.
Now Galindo said the club is trying to reassure other members it is safe to take part in their runs.
"It was a scary moment. I'm sad that someone could be that aggressive with a group of people," Galindo told ABC News.
Shortly after the incident, police said they located El Mahmoud pulling into a parking garage where he tried to remove the license plate from his SUV. He was then taken into custody.
El Mahmoud has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with the intent to commit a felony and one count of reckless driving, police said. He may also be charged with a hate crime, with officials reviewing his charges for potential enhancement under the state's hate crime statute, police said.
El Mahmoud is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. The name of the public defender representing El Mahmoud was not immediately available.
