Matthew Marro, 23, is charged with five counts apiece of child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
BUNNELL — A homeless man attacked several children at a Bunnell park, threatened to kill them and directed racial insults at them when they tried to break up a fight between him and a woman Sunday night, according to a police report.
Matthew Marro, 23, was charged with five counts apiece of child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the incident. He remained jailed Tuesday on $10,000 bail, records show.
According to a Bunnell arrest report, Marro was at Edward Johnson Park with a 36-year-old homeless woman and the two began arguing. He shoved the woman and that’s when five boys — ages 8, 8, 8, 11 and 14 — intervened, trying to separate the two.
Marro responded by pushing the children and choking one of the boys, reports state. The kids then picked up sticks and beat Marro with them until he dropped the boy. Marro, who is white, then pulled a pocket knife and began chasing the kids, calling them the N-word. He threatened to kill the children, all of whom are listed in police reports as African American, and their families. He then gave the knife to the homeless woman, who gave it to one of the boys to hide. Marro continued to chase the children around the park and at one point picked one of the boys up over his head and dropped him to the ground, the report states.
Officers noted Marro suffered several scrapes and bruises on his upper body. None of the children were injured.
Marro complained that during Sunday's altercation, he reinjured some wounds he had sustained last week so he was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler to be treated.