Bond set at $30K for man accused of attacking hotel manager

HOLLYWOOD – A Pembroke Pines man turned himself in after being seen on video viciously beating a 69-year-old hotel manager over a parking spot and leaving him with a concussion and bruises, authorities said.

Deandre Hampton, 21, turned himself in at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, said Officer Christian Lata, spokesman for the Hollywood Police department.

The beat down happened about 10:30 a.m. May 25 outside the Shore View Hotel at 1711 S. Surf Rd. in Hollywood.

A security surveillance video that recorded the attack outside the quiet beachfront hotel made the rounds on social media and local news, stoking alarm and outrage.

Police attributed Hampton’s surrender “to the overwhelming amount of help from local law enforcement, media, and vigilant community members.”

Hampton’s violent reaction happened after the hotel owner told him not to park in a reserved space.

Hampton, tall, gangly and wearing a red T-shirt, took a running start at the hotel owner, knocked him down and threw a flurry of more than two dozen punches.

The man Hampton is accused of beating up, Rudy Harow, 69, told WPLG-Ch. 10 he just doesn’t understand why someone would turn violent when simply being asked not to park in a reserved space.

“What set you off? What made you come after me when I thought that you were leaving and I was thanking you for leaving?” Harow told the station after learning of Hampton’s arrest.

Hampton, lives in Pembroke Pines with his mother. Broward Court records show only three traffic infractions, two of which were dismissed.

He was booked into Broward County’s main jail in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday and faces a charge of aggravated battery on someone 65 or older.

During a court hearing Wednesday, Broward County Judge Jackie Powell heard testimony from Hampton’s mother, Sharlene Lawrence, as well as Hollywood Police Detective John Kidd, who showed the judge a video of the beating.

Assistant State Attorney Eric Linder asked the detective if the victim was fearful.

“All victims are worried if anyone is going to come back after them,” Kidd said. “Between that and the injuries he sustained, he is worried.”

Linder said the violence began “… because he was told he couldn’t park there and he was told he couldn’t stay there to finish smoking a marijuana joint.

“Your honor, as you can see from the allegations and also the video, this was a vicious attack of a 69-year-old man with no provocation, that actually had his back turned to Mr. Hampton when he attacked him,” Linder said. “And when [Harow] fell to the ground, defenseless, Mr. Hampton continued to attack him, striking him in the face and body multiple times.

The attack only stopped when a woman who was with Hampton Linder said.

Linder said Hampton did not have a significant criminal history, but sought a $50,000 bond.

“The level of violence and the strength of the evidence in this case are aggravating factors that so heavily outweigh a lack of a criminal history, that I believe the bond and release conditions the state is requesting are necessary and appropriate,” Linder said.

Hampton’s mother, Sharlene Lawrence, cried when she asked Powell for mercy. Lawrence said after she went through a divorce, she noticed a change in Hampton’s behavior.

“This loss has caused moments of depression and outrage and I feel like he’s suffering mentally, leading to this incident and the one in ’18,” Lawrence said, referring to her son’s only prior intervened, case, a misdemeanor for criminal mischief in Orange County.

“I don’t have $50,000 to bond him out but I can assure you I’ll do everything possible to get him the help that he needs as his parent,” Lawrence said. She said she could afford a bond of $1,000.

Hampton formerly worked in a factory in Pembroke Pines and is looking for employment, according to an assistant public defender. He graduated from Charles W. Flanagan High School in 2015 and his goals include college and studying sports medicine, the defense attorney said.

Powell set a $30,000 bond. If Hampton is released from jail before trial, Powell ordered him to wear a GPS monitor.