A Palm Beach County judge has locked in an Aug. 4 status hearing in the case of Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud, 43, who is accused of accelerating a Ford Bronco toward members of the Night Runners WPB running club at Howard Park last November. Prosecutors have tacked a hate-crime enhancement onto aggravated-assault and reckless-driving counts, and El Mahmoud remains jailed after a judge previously denied bond. The incident drew major attention around West Palm Beach after cellphone video circulated showing the SUV cutting across a parking lot and rolling over sidewalks and grass.
The next court date follows a brief hearing on Wednesday where the defense said it had received digital discovery and asked for roughly 60 days to sift through the materials. Prosecutors did not object, and the judge set a status check for Aug. 4 at 8:30 a.m., according to CBS12. Defense attorney Devereaux Stephens told the court he was still waiting on a witness list. Assistant State Attorney Freddelle Menard responded that the witnesses were already included in discovery and said she would provide a printed copy. El Mahmoud has pleaded not guilty, the station reported.
According to the West Palm Beach Police Department, officers were called to Howard Park around 8:20 p.m. on Nov. 24 after about 40 runners reported that a man in a Ford Bronco had intentionally tried to hit members of the group. Police said the driver made multiple passes through a parking lot, then onto sidewalks and across grassy areas before taking off. Officers later found the Bronco and arrested El Mahmoud in a downtown parking garage along the 700 block of North Dixie Highway. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and one count of reckless driving while the case was reviewed for a hate-crime enhancement.
Members of Night Runners WPB described a frantic scramble behind trees as the SUV barreled through the park. "I thought he was going to hit me," club member Rudolph Galindo told WPBF, and local television footage showed tire tracks and witness accounts from the scene. WPTV later reported that prosecutors added the hate-crime enhancement after investigators said El Mahmoud told detectives he became "offended and enraged" by a perceived comment from one of the runners.
Hate-crime enhancement explained
Under Florida law, an enhancement under Florida Statute 775.085 can reclassify offenses to higher degrees if the record shows the defendant intentionally selected a victim because of a protected characteristic such as sexual orientation. That reclassification can bump a misdemeanor up to a felony level or increase the degree of a felony, which can translate to significantly longer sentences if the enhancement is proved at trial.
The Aug. 4 status check is expected to let both sides confirm witnesses, set deadlines and sketch out next steps as the case moves through Palm Beach County Circuit Court. The judge’s order followed the defense request for more time to review discovery materials, which prosecutors did not oppose, according to CBS12. The current timetable keeps the case aimed toward pretrial motions and additional hearings before any potential trial.
Organizers with Night Runners WPB say they are focused on safety and community support and have praised the quick response from police. OutSFL reported that the club returned to Howard Park a week after the incident, drawing an even bigger turnout.
