He was accused of shooting at an Opa-locka politician. The charges were just dropped
A vehicle repairman accused last month of the attempted murder of an Opa-locka city commission candidate was cleared of the charge Wednesday - yet remains on house arrest and is now only permitted to leave his home to go to work, the grocery store or court.
Anthony Mitchell, 50, appeared briefly Wednesday morning before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James and was told he will remain under home detention as he fights a battery charge from an August confrontation with Opa-locka commission candidate Chris Davis.
Mitchell’s attorney Michael Pizzi petitioned James to release Mitchell from detention, arguing the dropping of the attempted murder charge was a substantial change and that his client should be freed.
“He’s on the verge of losing his job,” Pizzi said.
James agreed to loosen the restrictions, but opted to keep Mitchell on home arrest until his December trial date.
Outside the courtroom, Pizzi said his client was jailed after a “bald faced lie.” And the attorney said he’d never had a client who was under house arrest for a battery charge. Mitchell, who refused to speak to the media, stood by his side.
“It’s absurd,” said the attorney.
Mitchell, who lives with a wife and his daughter, was charged with attempted murder with a weapon and aggravated battery on Aug. 21 after getting into a brawl with Davis, who was elected as a city commissioner in 2018 and lost a mayoral race in the city two years ago.
His arrest report claimed Davis was returning from the store with some wood for signs when Mitchell’s brother approached him and threw a punch. Davis allegedly knocked him down. Then Mitchell briefly brawled with Davis but as Davis got into his truck and tried to leave, the report says, Mitchell fired and struck the vehicle.
On Wednesday, Pizzi provided video footage from a police body-worn camera that showed a lengthy interaction between Davis and law enforcement. During the conversation, the candidate admitted to knocking out Mitchell’s brother and told officers he heard gunshots and it must have been Mitchell who fired the weapon - though he never saw him. He also showed police what he said was a bullet hole in his truck.
Before state prosecutors dropped the attempted murder charge, Pizzi filed affidavits with the court from family members who said Mitchell has never owned a gun or had one that they’ve seen. He also had a sworn statement from a corrections officer who said he saw Mitchell and his brother that night after the tussle with Davis and neither was armed.
“They put him on house arrest for a glorified misdemeanor,” said Pizzi.
No charges have been filed against Davis or Tommy Johnson, Mitchell’s brother.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 4:19 PM.
