Lawyer For Man Who Was Stabbed In Face After Asking To Use Bathroom Says Act Was Racially Motivated
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A man who was looking for a bathroom in Pembroke Pines says he was stabbed in the face by a market employee and now his attorney is planning to file a lawsuit.
Harold Williams says he was stabbed by a Pines Market employee after he asked to use the establishment's restroom.
Police said it happened at around noon on March 16 at the store in the 9600 block of Pines Blvd.
Williams claims the two clerks said it was OK and one employee accompanied him to the rear of the market.
Williams says as he made his way to the bathroom he felt what he believed that the defendant punched him on the face but shortly later, he realized he had been stabbed on the left cheek area, police said.
"The only thing I asked was to use the restroom and I was attacked. The man nearly took my life," said Williams.
Williams was bleeding profusely from his injuries and was lucky to make it to a nearby urgent care.
"There is video evidence of my client entering the store. The video evidence before he was stabbed and after he was stabbed it is very clear that my client was not committing any crime. My client was unarmed, unprovoked and it's unjustifiable," said attorney Jasmine Rand.
The Pines market is closed and 24-year-old Fawaz Zarif Hassan has been charged with second-degree felony causing bodily harm.
Williams who is an executive with Bahamas Air and is from the Bahamas spent five weeks in the hospital recovering from his injuries.
"I have reason to believe this was racially motivated. I want to ensure the prosecutor's office continues to investigate whether or not racial bias was a factor," Rand said.
