Ex-Marlins player Rafael Furcal accused of throwing rocks at man in Publix lot

Former Major League Baseball player and Miami Marlins shortstop Rafael Furcal was jailed in Broward County on Wednesday after police said he hurled rocks toward a man he nearly crashed into in a Publix parking lot in April.

After turning himself in, Furcal was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle.

On April 28, a man was driving a work truck to drop off a co-worker at a Publix at 12500 W. Sunrise Blvd., according to a probable cause affidavit from the Sunrise Police Department.

Police say the 47-year-old former Marlins player nearly collided head-on with the work truck as he drove through the lot.

The truck’s driver escaped the close call by making a right turn, circled back to drop off the co-worker, and passed Furcal’s black Ford pickup a second time — at which point Furcal stopped his car, climbed out and began pelting the driver’s car with rocks and a plastic bottle, according to Sunrise police.

The situation escalated when the truck driver, whose named was removed from the report released by Sunrise police, got out of his vehicle and approached Furcal to “see what his problem was,” according to the affidavit.

Furcal then threw a larger rock at the truck driver, police said. The victim told police he raised his arm to try and block the rock from hitting his body.

During an interview on May 1, the truck driver — who was taken to the hospital for treatment — told police his left hand needed five stitches and he had bruising on the right side of his body and left arm from the rocks.

The truck driver said Furcal acknowledged that he was “bleeding profusely” from his hand and said to him, “You’re bleeding,” before taking off in his Ford pickup truck.

The man told police that he chased Furcal and “hit him a couple of times with his fists.”

Police later identified Furcal, 47, through vehicle registration records tied to Ragly, LLC — a business registered at his home address in Weston. CCTV footage and a positive photo lineup identification by the truck driver further supported the charges, police said.

A witness, the co-worker the truck driver was dropping off, corroborated key details, although he couldn’t identify Furcal due to the distance.

Furcal surrendered to Sunrise police and was taken into custody after an arrest warrant for him was issued on Monday. He has since posted bond and has been released. An attorney was not listed for Furcal on the Broward County Clerk website.

Furcal played in the major leagues from 2000 to 2014. He finished his career after playing nine games with the Marlins in 2014.

He was a three-time All-Star and finished his career with a .281 batting average with 113 home runs, 587 runs batted in and 314 stolen bases.

He won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. He also payed for the Braves and Dodgers.