DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The man who led authorities on a chase through Broward County and is now being investigated to see if he is linked to a double homicide in Fort Lauderdale made an appearance before a judge.
Daniel Dovi, 64, faces multiple charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and appeared in a virtual bond court meeting Wednesday morning.
“You’re before the court this morning on eight separate charges. Counts one and two are each a separate count of aggravated battery with a deadly battery. I do believe that Mr. Dovi is a danger to the community. I believe he’s a flight risk,” said the judge.
The Pennsylvania resident’s brother also appeared in the meeting and spoke to the judge.
“Dan was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and he’s been on disability for the past eight years,” said his brother Chris Dovi. “From what I heard, he’s been off his medications for a year.”
Fort Lauderdale Police said Dovi is the man who led them on a chase through the streets of Broward County on Tuesday before it came to a crashing end in Boca Raton.
7SkyForce HD flew overhead when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper performed a pit maneuver on the vehicle just north of Hillsboro Boulevard, causing the Jeep to roll over and land on its side.
According to property owner Michael Jones, the chaotic chain of events started in Fort Lauderdale, when he saw the Jeep parked on his empty lot on Center Avenue, near Oakland Park Boulevard and A1A.
“I asked him, I said, ‘Excuse me, sir, is this your Jeep?’ I was going to tell him to remove it from the property. It’s not his,” Jones said. “He said, ‘Yeah. What the eff is it to you?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s my property. You can’t park here. No problem with you parking overnight.’ He approached me, he pushed me on the ground. He was acting crazy. I defused the situation by saying, ‘You’re right, you’re right. I got back in my car, I called 911.”
Jones said the man slammed his Jeep into his car before fleeing the scene.
He said, “I saw this guy, there was crazy in his eyes. I know crazy when I see it.”
Just a few blocks away from the scene, Fort Lauderdale Police worked a double homicide investigation by the beach.
Investigators said two men appeared to have been stabbed to death at around 6:15 a.m.
“I can imagine the shock of somebody walking out here at 6 o’clock in the morning and discovering something like this,” said area resident Lee Rebalko.
Detectives said they are looking into a possible connection between the chase and the double homicide case.
Dovi is currently being held on a $97,000 bond.
The judge ordered him to have pre-trial release supervision with a GPS monitor and was ordered to not have any contact with Jones. He is also not permitted to return to the property near Oakland Park Boulevard and A1A.
If you have any information that can help investigators, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.