Details, witness accounts on the arrest of CJ Gimenez in Coral Gables’ ‘Slapgate’Political Cortadito

Or ‘How Miami Police tried to extradite a Gables resident’

Documents and interviews with Coral Gables police indicate the city of Miami had much more interest than previously acknowledged in the arrest last month of lobbyist and Gables resident Carlos “CJ” Gimenez, son of the congressman by the same name, for slapping a city of Miami commissioner on the head at a downtown Gables restaurant.

Gimenez was charged with battery and arrested, but now there is evidence that Miami Police — as first revealed in Political Cortadito — tried to extradite Gimenez to the neighboring city to process his arrest there. There is video from inside the police station that shows a Miami officer going into the Gables holding cell and handcuffing Gimenez before taking him out, reportedly to take him back to the Miami Police station, where they likely would have piled on more ludicrous felony charges like fleeing and eluding.

But the Gables Police didn’t let that happen.

And witness accounts also indicate that a client of a lobbyist lunching with Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was also there.

To recap for those who live under a coral rock and don’t know about the slap heard around the county: Gimenez was taking a stroll near his office in downtown Coral Gables Feb. 9 when he came upon The Dean having lunch at Morton’s Steakhouse with lobbyist Carlos Lago, the brother of Gables Mayor Vince Lago, former Miami Commissioner Humberto Hernandez, his bagman and confidante and ex-con with sentences for both federal bank fraud and voter fraud. The commissioner’s sergeant-at-arms, Det. Stanley Paul-Noel, was also sitting at the table, though he is not supposed to be according to department regulations. And now we also know that Raul Nuñez of A+ Mini Storage, who Lago is registered to lobby for at the city of Miami, was also there.

Gimenez called ADLP a pussy and then, as he calmly walked away, slapped him on the side or back of the head. It was more like a bop. Not hard.

ADLP gets up to confront CJ, realizes he can’t fight him and sics his sergeant-at-arms (read: police bodyguard) on Gimenez. Paul-Noel stalks Gimenez down the street, grabs him by the wrists, hard, jostles him, knocks him to the ground and takes him into “custody” until the Gables Police arrive. It’s all on captured on Gables CCTV cameras placed on downtown highrises.

Eventually, Gimenez was placed under arrest and made to spend the night at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, even though everyone knows where he lives and he could have been PTAed, which is when someone signs to “promise to appear” in court.

That’s probably what would have happened if Miami Police had not been involved. But they were so metido in it that they actually tried to take Gimenez away. It’s downright frightening and very Banana Republic. What else would they be capable of?

Ladra has asked for the video from inside the Gables holding cell area and is tired of waiting for it. But sources in the department who have seen the video (and it seems everybody’s seen it) and one source who was there live say that a city of Miami police officer walked into the holding cell shortly after Gimenez is placed inside. In the video, he is seen as he handcuffed Gimenez and walked out of the holding cell, and out of the camera’s view.

Two minutes later, Gimenez reentered the holding cell, still handcuffed. A minute or two later, the video shows the same Miami police officer went back into the holding cell and removed the handcuffs. He left frustrado.

Text messages between Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak and Interim Miami Police Chief Manny Morales show that there was some confusion about who was to take custody of the former county mayor’s son.

“My guys told me that your guys wanted to take them back to your station and I said no you and I had decided that we were going to transport him for you from here just in case they ask you,” Hudak wrote shortly after 2:23 p.m., wasting no time on punctuation.

“Agreed — that was a miscommunication on our side — Jr is aware — you are primary and handle all — all we get is access by detective to interview,” Morales replied, in a sort of Morse code tone.

“That works,” Hudak shot back. “We are writing it as a 32 with your SAR making the arrest.”

Turns out that the Gables made the arrest with the sergeant-at-arms providing some of the narrative in first person. They cited the mutual aid agreement between the two cities. But it’s weird. Ladra has never seen anything like this in many years of government and police reporting.

The Miami detective never got an interview, tough. That’s what Ladra was told.

Hudak did not return multiple calls from Political Cortadito. And it’s important to get his opinion. Because this is the most heavily investigated case of simple battery ever, with no fewer than 24 officers “assisting,” according to the incident report. It includes the account of an officer who was working off-duty on Miracle Mile.

“I was flagged down by a person advising of someone needing help,” wrote Officer Lucas Rosson in a supplemental report. He said he heard an emergency 315 alert about an officer needing assistance at the same location as he ran toward the Morton’s.

“Within seconds of arrival, I observed a male being held in the front by the coat jacket by another male who identified himself as an officer with the city of Miami and advised that the male was being detained for assault,” Rosson wrote. “The city of Miami Sergeant at Arms, not in uniform, displayed his badge and further advised me of his professional position.

“The subject, later identified as Carlos Julio Gimenez appeared angry and agitated,” Rosson wrote, and Ladra bets he was. He had just been accosted by a police officer acting as a bodyguard for the commissioner. He may have suspected that the would try to take him into their own custody.

“I advised the offender to relax and take a seat on the concrete bench until we figure out what’s going on,” Rosson wrote. “Offender then complied, but was continually agitated.”

He asked Gimenez if he was carrying any weapons and he wasn’t. Then Gimenez told him that Paul-Noel had no jurisdiction to detain him. “This officer is a city of Miami sergeant at arms for the commissioner and he had no jurisdiction to put hands on him,” the Gables officer quotes CJ as saying.

The police also have five witness reports and, even though four of them are from people in the commissioner’s special inside deal lunch party, they gave pretty inconsistent accounts.

“I was having lunch, and he came from behind, leaned over me, called me a bad word, and hit me with the back of his hand on my left ear. He then ran away,” wrote the alleged victim, Diaz de la Portilla, in really embarrassing chicken scratch. Maybe el pobre was really shook.

But Nuñez and Lago, who were sitting at the same table, said Gimenez hit ADLP in the right temple and face, respectively. “The sergeant at arms then stood up from the table and attempted to restrain the subject as the subject continued to fight,” Lago wrote, in the longest and most detailed account, even if it is wrong. Wonder why he went on and on.

Leonardo Vallejo, who was interviewed at the restaurant, said “a gentleman approached a table and grabbed the commissioner and called him a pussy and proceeded to push him on the back.”

There’s also this text message from Maj. Raul Pedroso, who appears to have been on the scene, to Hudak and Assistant Chief Hajir Nuriddin, which appears to further cast doubt on the statements:

“The witnesses at the table who already provided a written statement given to patrol officers is refusing at this time to be re-interviewed and provide a sworn statement,” the text reads, according to public records obtained by Political Cortadito from the city clerk. “He advised that he may do so tomorrow but at this point he’s not willing to.”

Wonder if that’s ADLP or Lago. Or Hernandez, who has experience being questioned by police. And why were they or he refusing to provide a sworn statement? Are any of these witness accounts reliable then?