'Are you a child molester?' alleged attacker asks victim on Lincoln Road in South Beach

Man arrested after punching man wearing 'Best Dad' T-shirt

SOUTH BEACH, Fla. – A man was wearing a "Best Dad" T-shirt when an alleged attacker approached him on Lincoln Road and asked a strange question: "Are you a child molester?" 

The attack in South Beach was about 7:45 p.m. on Friday. The victim told police officers he wasn't expecting Gerard Gaitar, a 29-year-old homeless man he said he didn't know, to punch him from behind after asking the bizarre question. 

The two men were both injured during a struggle, according to the Miami Beach Police Department arrest report. The couple was able to run into Lululemon, a high-end yoga-focused store at Jefferson Avenue.

The couple called 911 and when officers arrived Gaitar was "pacing back and forth at the store's entrance," according to the report. Officers arrested him. 

Records show Gaitar is facing a battery charge and remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Sunday evening. 

 


About the Authors:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.