Political blogger arrested after clash in parking lot, police say
A prominent political blogger was arrested Saturday and charged with the attemptedmurder of his sister’s boyfriend, authorities said.
Javier Manjarres, 43, a South Florida-based blogger in the conservative movement with a national following, was arrested after he left his sister’s boyfriend with a broken nose and bullet holes in his blue Dodge Ram pickup truck, according to a police report.
Manjarres’ sister and her boyfriend, Jason Holowinski, 36, had an argument on Friday evening, the report said. She told investigators he grabbed her by the neck during the argument and then dropped her off at Palmetto Park Shopping Center in Boca Raton.
Sometime later, Manjarres’ sister told Holowinski to pick her up in the parking lot at the back of the shopping plaza. Holowinski pulled up next to her and opened the passenger door.
Then Manjarres appeared, stepping into Holowinski’s truck and hitting him in the face with his fist four to five times, the report said.
Holowinski told police he saw Manjarres reach for something in his waistband so he put his truck in reverse to get away from him. As he backed up, he struck Manjarres’ car, a dark-colored Volkswagen.
When Holowinski accelerated forward to get away, he heard three gunshots, the report said.
Holowinski drove to his brother’s house in North Lauderdale and was then taken by an ambulance to University Hospital in Tamarac.
Holowinski told detectives his girlfriend calls Manjarres “when she needs something or when they are involved in an argument.”
Police went to Manjarres’ Pompano Beach home, where they saw his damaged car. He was arrested Saturday morning and is being held at the Broward County Main Jail.
Manjarres frequently covers major political events in South Florida and elsewhere in the country, and gets access to conservative figures.
His website, The Shark Tank, provides a forum for candidates.