Congressman’s son accused of striking Miami politician

MIAMI (AP) — The son of a Florida congressman was arrested Wednesday after he struck a Miami city commissioner over lunch at a steakhouse, police said.

An arrest affidavit says Carlos J. Gimenez, a Miami-based attorney, called City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla an expletive and struck him on the side of the head with an open hand. Gimenez is the son of Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez, a former Miami-Dade County mayor.

It is not clear what prompted Wednesday’s alleged attack in the city of Coral Gables, a Miami suburb. Court records did not immediately list an attorney for the suspect who could comment.

U.S. Rep. Gimenez said in an emailed statement that he was aware of the incident, but did not have further comment saying it was a “personal matter.”

A Miami police officer was on the commissioner’s detail and held the congressman’s son until Coral Gables police officers arrived at the steakhouse. The arrest report says officers reviewed surveillance footage that captured the incident.

Carlos J. Gimenez is being charged with battery, a first-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, he can face up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Diaz de la Portilla called Gimenez a “coward” in a statement posted on Twitter. Gimenez struck with “a flick of his wrist from behind me when I was having lunch,” Diaz de la Portilla said, adding, “Actually he’s quite a coward and appeared to be under the influence.”