Inset: Quaze Lavarn Simmons (Hernando County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area where Simmons is accused of hitting a random man with his vehicle, critically injuring the victim (Google Maps).
A 36-year-old man in Florida was taken into custody after allegedly running over a 74-year-old man who was sitting in a chair by the roadside, reportedly in anger after having a disagreement with his mother.
Quaze Lavarn Simmons was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of attempted murder over the ordeal.
As stated in a news release from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 10:42 a.m. Sunday to a 911 call concerning a man “seated in a chair” who had been hit by a vehicle close to the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Josephine Street in South Brooksville, approximately 45 miles north of Tampa.
The caller said that after hitting the man in the chair, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene, running into the nearby woods.
When first responders arrived, they found the suspect’s vehicle, a gold Toyota Corolla LE, still at the location. The car was unattended and parked on the sidewalk along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The victim, a 74-year-old man from Brooksville, suffered “severe injuries to both legs” along with significant head trauma. Given the critical nature of his injuries, he was airlifted to a trauma hospital for urgent care.
Investigators quickly identified the vehicle’s owner and reached out to her. She confirmed ownership of the car but noted that her son, identified as Simmons, frequently used the vehicle.
After identifying Simmons as the suspected driver, deputies conducted a search of the immediate area. However, a short while later, authorities said Simmons “emerged from the woods” just south of the crash.
“Simmons appeared wet, covered in dirt and debris, and was detained without incident,” the release states. “During the detention, Simmons spontaneously stated he was ‘scared.'”
In an interview with investigators, Simmons gave conflicting stories about the cause of the collision.
“Simmons initially told detectives he lost control of the vehicle and ran in fear of his mother’s reaction to the crash,” the sheriff’s office said. “However, video surveillance obtained in the area revealed Simmons accelerated across traffic lanes directly toward the victim. At no time were the vehicle’s brake lights observed, nor was there any evidence of the driver losing control.”
When confronted with the contradictory video evidence, Simmons allegedly admitted that his running down of the victim was “intentional.”
“He told detectives he had been upset after an argument with his mother over money and chose to strike the victim because he was ‘just there.'”
Simmons was placed under arrest and transported to the Hernando County Detention Center, where he is currently being held in lieu of $250,000 bond, records show.
