Suspect in beating of Marco Rubio canvasser appears before judge, victim testifies during hearing

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Marco Rubio canvasser who was viciously attacked while handing out flyers in Hialeah testified in court on Monday against one of his alleged attackers.

The judge granted a $15,000 bond for the defendant, Javier Lopez.

Christopher Monzon, the victim in the case, spoke after the hearing about the judge’s decision.

“My response is that these men are very dangerous individuals and I would not be surprised if they committed anymore further crimes as they did with me,” he said.

Surveillance video from the day of the attack was also played in court.

The judge felt the factors in this case did not warrant pre-trial detention.

The brutal attack took place on Oct. 23 in Hialeah, allegedly at the hands of Lopez and Jonathan Casanova.

It landed Monzon, the Republican canvasser, in the hospital, and garnered national attention after Rubio tweeted his thoughts about the incident.

During Monzon’s testimony, he said he “appreciated” the rally that the Proud Boys held for him but after court he quickly clarified what he meant.

“I did not approve the event that they orchestrated on my behalf and the reason why I said I appreciated it because many good residents in the City of Hialeah, that are not Proud Boys by the way, came out to support me,” he said.


About the Author:

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.