Crime & Safety

George Zimmerman Was Victim of Assault in Manassas

The man under fire in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida was the victim of an assault that took place in Manassas, police said.

The man under fire in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida last month was the victim of an assault that took place in Manassas.

Manassa City Police Sgt. Eddie Rivera said one-time Manassas resident George Zimmerman was a victim of an assault in 2001, but he was never listed as an offender or suspect.

Zimmerman lived in Manassas before he moved to Florida with his parents in 2002. He graduated from Osbourn High School in 2001.

Find out what's happening in Manassaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officials in Orange County Florida confirm Zimmerman was arrested and charged with resisting an officer with violence and battery on a law enforcement official back in 2005. He was booked and released on a security bond of 1,000.00. The charges were amended from a felony to a misdemeanor and were eventually dropped, according to court records.

Zimmerman, 28, is accused of shooting an unarmed Martin after an incident in a Florida neighborhood where Zimmerman served as a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman, who has claimed self-defense in the shooting, was not arrested after conducting a police interview.

Find out what's happening in Manassaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But as of Wednesday, half a million people were calling for Zimmerman's arrest, and he has been driven from his Florida home by threats targeting him as a racist.

The controversial shooting  has prompted investigations by the Department of Justice and FBI. The  NAACP has also been holding townhalls calling for justice for Martin, and the BrevardTimes.com reported today a Florida state attorney will be bringing the case in front of a grand jury for indictment.

Some say  911 tapes from prior to the shooting prove Zimmerman was pursuing the unarmed  black teenager as he walked around the neighborhood before getting in a fight with him and ultimately gunning him down. Some are even saying they can hear Zimmerman utter a racial slur prior to the confronation.

Zimmerman, who has claimed self defense in the shooting, called police on Feb. 26 saying the neighborhood had experienced a lot of break-ins lately and that Martin was acting very "suspicious" and "had his hand in his waistband."

"Something is wrong with him," Zimmerman is heard saying in the 911 call.

Law enforcement asked Zimmerman to stop pursuing Martin during the call  before the shooting took place.

Former neighbors of Zimmerman in Manassas told the Orlando Sentinel they knew of Zimmerman, but that he mostly kept to himself and they really didn't know much about him.

Have you heard the 911 call? Tell us what you think? Do you think the shooting should be investigated as a hate crime?


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