According to accounts of the incident provided to the Margate Police Department by two victims, the man, later identified as Joel St. Hilaire, 34, of Margate, threatened to kill them after they were nearly hit by a vehicle he was driving as they entered their residential development.
The Margate Police Department report indicates the situation rapidly escalated when St. Hilaire, alongside an unidentified male, confronted the victims, and an altercation ensued in which St. Hilaire was captured on a RING surveillance camera brandishing a rifle, later identified as an AK 47.
The footage allegedly shows St. Hilaire aggressively directing threats at the couple, demanding one victim exit his truck. He can be heard on the video telling the victim, “he got something for them,” while holding the long rifle.
In a fight for his life, the male victim was able to attempt to defend himself by swatting at the rifle and fleeing the scene in his vehicle.
According to the report, the female victim recognized St. Hilaire from a previous six-month relationship, information that played a crucial role in identifying him.
On March 12, Margate detectives located St. Hilaire. Upon being confronted, he attempted to flee, leading to a brief but tense chase that ended with his arrest at gunpoint.
During the subsequent investigation, St. Hilaire denied involvement in the incident, even when confronted with video evidence. A search of his vehicle yielded a .223 caliber live round, which St. Hilaire claimed was for making necklaces.
St. Hilaire was arrested and transported to the Broward County Jail, where he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
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