A Miami Gardens man accused of threatening to kill a Florida lawmaker on Facebook was ticked off by the sight of a television camera during a mental health hearing Thursday, sending him into a courtroom tirade.
Steve St. Felix was arrested after police said he tagged Florida Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, in a threatening Facebook post Sunday.
“I’ll kill you’re a** and you better not show up to the next rec meeting,” the Facebook post read.
Police said St. Felix removed the post from Facebook a short time later.
St. Felix was apparently vexed to see news camera in the courtroom during his Thursday morning hearing.
“Get the cameras out of here,” he yelled.
Then he started listing off a series of South Florida Republican politicians.
“Marco Rubio, Nelson Diaz, Manny Diaz, Manny Diaz Jr., Carlos Gimenez … Y’all better go eat a Cuban sandwich, bro,” St. Felix said. “Get him out of here, man. Get him out of here, man. They embarrass my family. … Y’all torturing my son, man. I got two sons, man. Y’all torturing my son, man. Get him out of here, man. All right, cameraman. All right. Marco Rubio. … That’s right.”
According to an arrest affidavit, St. Felix told police when he was questioned about the Facebook post that he is “fed up with the Republican Party.”
Bailiffs escorted St. Felix out of the courtroom to calm him down, but he continued his tirade in the hallway.
The hearing resumed a few minutes later.
St. Felix’s attorney said his client has mental issues and, even though he has made similar threats in the past, he has never acted on them.
An issue with St. Felix’s jail card forced the hearing to be continued until Friday. St. Felix’s appearance has been waived.
