He was walking along a golf course near his Florida home. Then came violence, cops say
A violent incident went down at a Central Florida golf course last Sunday, with one man ending up badly injured and the other arrested, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
As per a police report obtained by the Miami Herald, deputies responded to a disturbance call at the Harbor Hills Country Club, in Lady Lake, about an hour northwest of Orlando, at around 1:30 p.m.
They made contact with the victim, Joseph Sivak, who said that he was walking on a path with his wife when he was approached by a golfer who ordered him to get out of the way. Eddie Orobitg, a dentist, told Sivak, a doctor, that the path was “intended” just for carts, and things escalated quickly from there.
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Deputies noted that Sivak was covered in blood, and his ear lobe appeared to be “ripped,” with “several cuts to his body.” He told officers that the suspect had struck him on his leg, and then the side of his head, and he was forced to defend himself with a water bottle.
Deputies made contact with Orobitg, who offered a different account, saying he acted in self defense. The 52 year old admitted telling the couple to move out of the way, but that Sivak was the one to initiate the confrontation when he “got into his face,” shoved him, spat and threw a water bottle.
While deputies noticed injuries consistent with Sivak’s story; they noted no marks on Orobitg consistent with being struck, just a cut on his hand. And the suspect’s juvenile son, who was on the course and witnessed the fight, told police that his father spat on Spivak first.
The defendant was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail on a felony charge of aggravated battery and released the following day on $5,000 bond, as per court records.
As for Sivak, he was transported to a local hospital. He reportedly suffered a fractured cheekbone, three broken ribs and a ripped earlobe requiring multiple stitches in the alleged assault.
“It was violent. It was actually very violent,” Sivak told CBS News. “I didn’t see much of it coming. I didn’t expect it. We were just out on our walk.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 4:48 PM.
