SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A homeless man has been arrested for allegedly launching an anti-Semitic assault against two men near a Sunny Isles Beach synagogue.
The incident occurred outside the Beit Rambam Congregation in the area of 178th Street and Collins Avenue, Monday.
Police said the victims were leaving the synagogue at the end of holiday prayer services when they passed by 66-year-old Larry Frankie Greene.
The victims, who asked not to be identified or show their faces on camera, said the suspect shouted at them, telling them to go back to Israel.
“He started yelling and screaming, telling us that we should go back to our country and that America is no place for Jews,” said one of the victims.
The victims said they kept walking, but Greene went after them.
“We were ignoring him, and he was following us. He just kept on adding more insults, more cursing,” said one of the victims.
Investigators said Greene grew violent and began making deadly threats.
“He took out a knife, and then he said, ‘I have a gun, too,'” said one of the victims. “He said the words, ‘I’m going to kill you all.'”
Fortunately, the men were not injured.
Police arrested Greene shortly after.
Once he was in custody, officers said, according to the arrest report, “Greene identified himself as a black Israelite and real Jew, not like these fake Jews, referring to the victims.”
The suspect allegedly added that he was “the real son of God and those guys are here stealing money from us.”
“Can we just have our religion in peace?” asked Beit Rambam congregant Huvi Steinberg.
Greene appeared in court Tuesday morning, where he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and prejudice.
“The defendant raised the knife over his head, made threats to kill them and lunged at one of the victims,” said a prosecutor.
This is not the first time Greene got into trouble with the law. Authorities said he was arrested for a similar crime in 2016.
“In the previous case, he targeted a victim based on sexual orientation, and in this case, he targeted the victims based on religion,” said a prosecutor.
“Mr. Greene is an extreme danger to this community, so I’m going to do an increased bond on Count 1, and on Count 2, I’m going to set it up at $25,000,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Renatha S. Francis.
Monday night, parishioners at Beit Rambam said they’re grateful the outcome was not worse.
“It’s just so scary to think that, like, just because you’re born a certain religion, someone hates you for it,” said Steinberg.
“Thank God we made it home safe,” said one of the victims.
Greene remains behind bars at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.