A Florida man faces attempted murder charges after allegedly running over a man sitting by the road in his mother’s car following a money-related argument with her.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office says the alleged incident happened around 10:40 a.m. on Saturday along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the South Brooksville suburb.
The victim, an unidentified 74-year-old Brooksville man, was sitting near the road in a chair when Quaze Lavarn Simmons, 36, allegedly intentionally hit him in a gold Toyota Corolla LE, which he often drove but belongs to his mother.
Simmons allegedly got out of the car and ran into the woods. He emerged from the woods south of the crash scene during the investigation, “wet, covered in dirt and debris,” and described himself as “scared,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Simmons initially told detectives he lost control of the vehicle and ran in fear of his mother’s reaction to the crash. However, video surveillance obtained in the area revealed Simmons accelerated across traffic lanes directly toward the victim. At no time were the vehicle’s brake lights observed, nor was there any evidence of the driver losing control,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Confronted with the evidence, Simmons stated the act was intentional. He told detectives he had been upset after an argument with his mother over money and chose to strike the victim because he was ‘just there.’”
Simmons was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries before being charged with attempted murder and booked into the Hernando County Detention Center. The elderly victim suffered severe leg injuries and head trauma and was airlifted to a trauma center.
The Independent contacted the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office for an update on the victim’s condition.
