A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue battalion chief is under heat after being cuffed over an alleged scuffle with his ex-partner. Fahim Mortazavi, 41, surrendered to the local police earlier today, following accusations that he forcefully snatched his ex-wife's phone during a confrontation last month.
The dispute was sparked on Dec. 30 when Mortazavi went to his ex-wife's home in Kendale Lakes to pick up their three children. The argument escalated — leading Mortazavi to snatch the phone in an attempt to erase a recording his ex-wife had made of their spat. According to the police arrest report from Local 10 News, "there was a struggle before he returned the phone." Despite his efforts to delete the video, Mortazavi ultimately gave back the device.
Following the incident, Miami-Dade prosecutors filed a case charging Mortazavi with domestic violence-related strong-armed robbery. The firefighter, also a U.S. Marine Corps reservist, had his attorney reach out to police to arrange surrendering to the authorities, as detailed in the NBC Miami report. He was booked into jail early Thursday morning.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has since shifted Mortazavi to administrative duty during the ongoing investigation. The department promptly to distance itself from the off-duty incident. "The employee was immediately placed on administrative duty pending the completion of the investigation," read a statement released today. "Even though the incident related to the arrest happened off-duty, all MDFR employees are expected to adhere to a code of conduct that upholds our values of integrity and professionalism," the department underscored in the statement obtained by NBC Miami.
