SUNRISE, Fla. – A newly-obtained arrest affidavit states that former Major League Baseball All-Star shortstop Rafael Furcal was arrested on two felony charges for an April rock-throwing incident outside of a Publix in Sunrise.
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Furcal, 47, of Weston, best known for his time on the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, turned himself in at the Broward County jail on Wednesday to face charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile.
According to the arrest affidavit from the Sunrise Police Department, the incident happened on April 28 behind the Publix at 12500 W. Sunrise Blvd., near the Sawgrass Mills mall. Broward court records incorrectly listed the “offense date” as Monday.
The affidavit states the victim was dropping off a co-worker at the store when he nearly collided head-on with Furcal as both men drove their trucks through the rear of the store’s parking lot.
The victim, it states, told investigators he “quickly made a turn to his right to avoid” a crash.
As the victim dropped his co-worker off, police said Furcal “exited his truck, and began picking up rocks from the ground and began throwing them at his work truck while he was still seated” and also threw a plastic bottle.
The affidavit states the victim got out and confronted the World Series champion to “see what his problem was.”
“As (the victim) exited the truck and walked towards the suspect (Furcal), the suspect then picked up a larger rock, the size of a small palm, and as he got close to the suspect, the suspect threw it at him,” the detective wrote. “(The victim) stated that he raised up his left hand to in an attempt to protect himself and was able to block the rock from hitting his body, but the rock caused several lacerations to his hand.”
The detective said the victim reported chasing and punching Furcal after being hit with the rock. Furcal, police said, then “ran back to his truck and fled the scene.”
Medics would later bandage the victim, who told detectives he feared for his life during the incident, and take him to a medical center for treatment, the document states. He required stitches.
Police said another co-worker was able to get the license plate of Furcal’s Ford F-150, which came back to a business, Ragly, LLC, registered to the athlete’s $5.1 million mansion in Weston’s gated Windmill Reserve community.
The affidavit states that CCTV footage, along with a corroborating statement from the victim’s co-worker, led detectives to determine that Furcal was the aggressor in the incident.
“Note: Rafael Antonio Furcal made no attempt during or after the incident to contact Law Enforcement to report what occurred,” the report concluded.
Furcal, who played in the major leagues from 2000 to 2014, concluding his career with a brief stint with the Miami Marlins, would later be released from jail on bond following his self-surrender on Wednesday.
No future court dates or attorney information were listed in Furcal’s Broward court file as of Friday afternoon.