Overview
- Police identified the suspect as 43-year-old Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud, who allegedly accelerated a Ford Bronco toward Night Runners WPB at Howard Park around 8:20 p.m. Monday and made multiple passes.
- Officers located the SUV in a downtown parking garage, where they observed the driver removing the vehicle’s license plate before taking him into custody without incident.
- El Mahmoud faces two counts of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and one count of reckless driving as the State Attorney’s Office reviews the case for possible hate-crime enhancement.
- Investigators say he acted after a perceived comment and later said he was offended and enraged, a claim a runner who spoke with him disputes; no injuries were reported and the group canceled the run.
- A court appearance was set for Wednesday, with one outlet reporting he was ordered held without bond, and police asked additional witnesses to share video or information.