Family demands justice after armed assault on son caught on video

    Florida (WFOR) -- A family is seeking justice after surveillance footage captured a man assaulting their son and pointing a gun at him, allegedly in retaliation for flirting with the attacker's girlfriend.

The incident occurred last week outside Miramar Food and Produce on Southwest 27th Street.

The victim, identified only as Rashad, was initially too afraid to report the attack, even asking police to drop the case. His mother, Monica and stepfather, Derek, intervened.

"He's not mentally capable of making that decision," Monica said.

"I want to press charges," Derek added.

Both declined to share their full names out of fear for Rashad's safety. The suspect remains unidentified and is not in custody.

Surveillance video from last Sunday shows Rashad leaving the store as a woman entered. The two exchanged words and Rashad flirted, according to police. Moments later, a man, reportedly the woman's boyfriend, emerged from a car and rushed toward Rashad.

Investigators said the man punched Rashad, knocking him to the ground, though the moment of impact was not captured on video. Footage does show the attacker stepping back into view with a gun in hand, aiming it at Rashad.

Terrified, Rashad did not tell his family about the assault until a store clerk informed Derek and showed him the video.

"When I walked in the store, (the clerk) said, 'I've been looking for you. This guy just jumped on your son earlier in the day, and I don't know why he would do that,'" Derek recalled.

Monica said watching the footage was devastating.

"When I saw the entire video, it took everything in me to hold it together because I was about to lose it," she said. "This is a problem. This guy, in broad daylight, pulled a gun on an unarmed person just because he opened the door for a girl."

Police continue to investigate, but no arrests have been made.