MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A man with a lengthy arrest record is facing an aggravated assault charge after police say he pointed what appeared to be a gun at a rabbi outside a Miami Beach synagogue Tuesday afternoon.
Miami Beach police arrested Christopher Martinez, who facing one count of aggravated assault with a firearm/prejudice, according to jail records.
An arrest report stats that the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday near 12th Street and Alton Road, in front of a Jewish synagogue.
Police said Martinez, who is listed as homeless in the report, walked toward the victim, a rabbi standing outside the synagogue, while yelling erratically before pointing what looked like a silver pistol and mumbling the words “murder” and “Jew.”
They said the rabbi feared for his life before Martinez lowered the weapon and walked away.
Martinez was later detained by an officer after a juvenile witness pointed him out near a bus stop on Alton Road, the report stated.
Investigators said the gun turned out to be a butane lighter that resembled a real gun.
Melissa Rodriguez, a sergeant with the Miami Beach Police Department, said during a Zoom briefing Wednesday that Martinez is a “habitual offender” in the city with more than 80 prior arrests and a history of similar behavior involving guns.
She said Martinez has been convicted of crimes in the past and has previously pointed fake guns at people,
During Wednesday’s bond court hearing, a judge ordered Martinez to stay away from the victim, the victim’s home, school and workplace.
The judge found probable cause for the hate-related assault charge and set bond at $25,000, noting that an increased bond was warranted.
As of Wednesday evening, Martinez was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
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