Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

No charges for man who repelled white supremacis­t

- By Susannah Bryan South Florida Sun Sentinel Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentine­l.com or 954-356-4554. Find her on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan.

BOCA RATON – It was hard to miss the handmade sign accusing Jews of raping kids and calling the Holocaust a lie.

Most drivers just kept on driving. Luis Carlos Reyes.

Reyes, 22, stopped his car and confronted the man holding the poster, white supremacis­t Patrick Little from California. A video of the Aug. 13 encounter in Boca Raton shows Reyes telling Little, “Get that s--- out of here, dude.”

Reyes tussled with Little, eventually grabbing hold of the poster and ripping it. Reyes was charged with simple battery and criminal mischief.

But there will be no courtroom battle. The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has dropped the charges, citing a lack of evidence.

Reyes was handcuffed after ripping up the sign, but was later released and given a notice to appear in court.

A video of the incident went viral and the charges sparked an outcry.

After the South Florida Sun Sentinel published an article last month, the paper received calls and emails from readers volunteeri­ng to help Reyes.

Ken Stein, a high school teacher from New York City, said he wanted to help pay Reyes’ legal fees and thank him for his bravery.

Boca Raton resident Al Weingarten he, too, was touched by the story.

“If this fella Reyes gets a fine, I’d like to pay it for him,” he told the Sun Sentinel the Not said day the

West Palm Beach attorney Jason said he represente­d Reyes pro bono.

Reyes decided to stop and confront Little because he was “deeply offended that children and Holocaust survivors in Boca Raton might see these hateful messages and be negatively impacted,” Weiss said.

Little, 34, is a former Senate candidate who was barred from a California GOP convention in May because of his anti-Semitic and white supremacis­t views.

He has said he plans to run for president in 2020. story ran. “He was

agood Samaritan.” Weiss

 ?? BOCA RATON POLICE, COURTESY ??
BOCA RATON POLICE, COURTESY

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States