Two days before a 68-year-old man was critically injured by two attackers in Lauderhill, he was homeless, with 9 cents in his pocket and using an apartment pool deck as a place to sleep, Broward court records show.
Johnny Warden, a New York native, remains at Broward General Medical Center after two men repeatedly punched and kicked him and stomped on his head at about 6 a.m. Sunday in front of a convenience store in Lauderhill, police said.
The attack occurred two days after Warden was arrested on a trespassing charge at Plantation’s Harbor Town at Jacaranda apartment complex, court records show.
Warden was taken into custody Friday evening because he refused to leave Harbor Town, at 8101 NW 14th St., an arrest report said.
He was sleeping at the complex’s pool deck when an apartment manager asked him to leave, his arrest report said. Warden told the manager he wanted to rent a unit, but he only had 9 cents, the report said.
When a police officer arrived and asked Warden to leave, Warden became belligerent and told the officer, “Arrest me then,” the report said.
The officer complied, and Warden was taken to the Broward Main Jail. His address on his arrest report said he was “at large,” or homeless.
He pleaded no contest to trespassing and was freed from jail Saturday.
Police have arrested two suspects in his Lauderhill beating. However, officers are still looking for Warden’s relatives to tell them about his condition.
Anyone with information about the case can call detectives at 954-497-4700.
Juan Ortega can be reached at jcortega@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4701.