A Florida man is accused of assault for siccing dogs on a canvasser for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, in an attack that is being described as politically motivated.
Javier Lopez, 25, is charged with both aggravated battery with great bodily harm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his role in unleashing two German shepherds on canvasser Christopher Monzon last week, according to the Miami Herald.
Mr. Lopez pleaded not guilty through his attorney Monday. He is being held in jail for violating probation.
Another suspect, Jonathan Casanova, was also arrested for his alleged role in the incident.
On Oct. 23, Mr. Monzon was wearing a Marco Rubio shirt and a Gov. Ron DeSantis hat while canvassing in Hialeah when Mr. Lopez told him “You can’t pass by here. This is my neighborhood,” according to Mr. Monzon’s interview with police.
Politics weren’t mentioned in the police report, per the Herald.
Police said that Mr. Lopez and Mr. Casanova beat up Mr. Monzon, and that Mr. Casanova eventually sicced his two dogs on Mr. Monzon.
Mr. Rubio claimed that the attack was politically motivated in an Oct. 24 tweet showing Mr. Monzon’s injuries. Detectives later visited Mr. Monzon at the hospital, and he told them the attack was politically motivated.
Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans weren’t allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 24, 2022
He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery pic.twitter.com/36QpbySg58
During a GOP event Sunday in Miami Springs, Mr. Monzon said that the accused assailants told him, “We don’t want you Republicans giving out your campaign propaganda here in our neighborhood.”
Mr. Lopez’s mother, a registered Republican, told the Herald that she talked to her son in jail, and that he said the attack wasn’t political.
Mr. Monzon previously was detained by police for a 2017 incident when he clashed with activists looking to rename streets named after prominent Confederates in Hollywood, Florida, according to the National Review.
The canvasser was holding a Confederate flag when he was detained by police.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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