HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A 36-year-old Brooksville man, Quaze Lavarn Simmons, is behind bars after deputies said he deliberately drove into a 74-year-old man seated near a South Brooksville intersection, leaving the victim with severe leg and head injuries.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), a 911 call came in on Sunday around 10:42 a.m., reporting a man was sitting near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Josephine Street and had been hit by a car. The caller also said the driver ran into the woods.
When deputies arrived, they said they found the suspect’s car, a gold Toyota Corolla LE, parked on the sidewalk of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
HCSO said the pedestrian, a 74-year-old man, sustained severe injuries to his head and legs. He was airlifted to a trauma hospital for emergency treatment.
Deputies searched the area and saw Simmons coming out of the woods south of the scene, wet and covered in dirt and debris. He was taken into custody without incident and told deputies he was “scared.”
Simmons first claimed he lost control of the car and fled because he feared his mother’s reaction. Still, surveillance video showed him accelerating across traffic straight toward the victim, with no brake lights or signs of losing control, deputies said.
Then, when shown the evidence, Simmons admitted hitting the victim on purpose, saying he was angry after a money-related argument with his mother and targeted the man simply because he was “just there.” He was arrested for attempted murder and remains in jail, while the victim is still hospitalized, receiving treatment.
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