A 32-year-old Hialeah man is facing a hate crime enhancement after North Miami Beach police say he hurled racial slurs at a stranger before beating him with a glass bottle and a metal water bottle outside a residential hostel early Thursday morning. Lesmar Roberto Cruzata Vidal now sits in Miami-Dade custody on a charge of aggravated battery with a weapon with prejudice, a first-degree felony that could carry decades behind bars if prosecutors move forward with the enhancement.
According to WPLG Local 10, the attack happened shortly before 1:30 a.m. at a home in the 16800 block of Northeast Fourth Court, a residence that police say operates as a hostel. The victim, who had been living there for about six months, had stepped out to walk to a nearby liquor store and returned roughly 10 to 15 minutes later, at which point he spotted Cruzata Vidal loitering in the parking lot.
Police say Cruzata Vidal confirmed he was speaking to the victim when he allegedly said, “Yo n***, yo n***,” per the arrest report cited by the outlet. An argument followed the exchange, and the confrontation quickly turned violent.
A Brutal Beating With Two Weapons
Officers say Cruzata Vidal struck the victim’s face with a glass beer bottle, according to the arrest report, then continued the assault by hitting him approximately 10 times with a metal water bottle, police said. The victim pushed Cruzata Vidal away and ran inside the home, where he asked other residents to call 911 while he went into a bathroom to try to clean his face…