Man arrested, charged with hate crime

HIALEAH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A man once thought to be a victim has been arrested and charged with a hate crime.

On Jan. 2, Luis Alberto Gonzalez told Hialeah Police he left a local pizza restaurant and was robbed by two African American males and was then shot in the head. After being shot, Gonzalez then said he got in his car and crashed into a nearby funeral home near Palm Avenue and 49th Street. Hialeah Police arrived on the scene and started looking for the two African American males in this alleged robbery.

However, this violent crime spree has a new twist. On Wednesday, police said the victim in the case is now a suspect. According to sources, Gonzalez was going up and down Palm Avenue trying to run over black people and that led to him being shot.

Hialeah Police tracked down the two African American men, Tarvis James and Andy Alexander, who told police Gonzalez tried to run them over, and they opened fire in self-defense. Hialeah Police Chief Mark Overton said, "[They said] that Mr. Gonzalez initiated an unprovoked, racially-motivated attack toward Mr. Alexander and James."

According to authorities, James and Alexander simply walked by Gonzalez, who is now accused of shouting a racial slur at them. Gonzalez then got into his pickup truck, revved the engine and tried to run over the two men, police said. James moved out of the way and shot at Gonzalez; the bullet struck his head.

Hialeah Police investigated the new allegation and ended up charging Gonzalez, who originally called this a shooting, with a hate crime. "This is the first reported hate crime in the City of Hialeah. The irony of this case is that the alleged victim actually turns out to become the defendant," said Overton.

Gonzalez later told police that he has resented black people since he was a victim of a crime during the McDuffie race riots in Overtown and Liberty City in 1980.

Wednesday afternoon, the suspects-turned-victims spoke about the incident at a press conference. "As I heard the vehicle coming towards me and my brother, I was very scared. You get nervous, you get scared," said James. "But I'm all right, though. As you can see, I'm still here, so God is on my side, me and my brother."

James expressed hope that racially-charged crimes would end. "I just hope it opens up everybody's heart and mind. It doesn't matter your color, your race or your religion, everybody's the same," he said.

"In this case," Overton said, "we have clearly demonstrated that we are prepared and ready to protect everybody's rights against any hate crime or any kind of discrimination."

James said he and his brother are grateful to Hialeah Police for their help. "I just want to tell the Hialeah Police Department, I thank you very much, on behalf of me and my brother," said James. "You did your job very well, and I appreciate it, and I love you for that."

Gonzalez remains in the hospital, but when released, he will be charged with several charges, including a hate crime charge. If convicted, Gonzalez could face a number of years behind bars.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)