A man from Mexico who was illegally in the country was apprehended for assault in Central Florida.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Vidal Jimenez, 23, after he assaulted an 18-year-old victim during an altercation in Mulberry. According to local law enforcement, Jimenez was in the United States illegally from Mexico.
Deputies called to Bailey Place in Mulberry, Central Florida, for a probable armed disturbance. According to law enforcement, the victim informed deputies that he was at a neighborhood park when two suspects approached him and inquired if he was selling marijuana. When he told them no, the suspects grew enraged, and Jimenez began beating him.
The victim said he tried to leave, but Jimenez pursued him.
The victim contacted his brother and begged him to alert law enforcement. The brother arrived at the park but could not find the victim since he was hiding from the suspects. When the suspects discovered him again, Jimenez was armed with a knife, while the second suspect was equipped with a bottle.
Both started after the victim, who fled to his brother as the suspects chased them.
A short time later, deputies saw a man matching the suspect’s description heading out of Willow Oak Mobile Home Park. When deputies tried to detain him, he backed away and fled on foot. After rejecting several instructions to stop, a deputy used his Taser, allowing deputies to take him into custody.
Vidal Jimenez faces two counts of aggravated assault without intent to murder, simple battery, and resisting without violence. Because of his illegal alien status in the United States, each charge is increased by one degree.
“This suspect assaulted a young man, armed himself, and then tried to outrun deputies,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “He’s also in this country illegally. That didn’t work out for him, and it won’t work out for anyone else who tries it.”
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