DAVIE, FL – A dispute between a landlord and tenant escalated into a violent confrontation that left a man with multiple facial fractures after he was allegedly beaten and choked unconscious outside his residence, according to police.
Lennie J. Dufrene Jr., 58, was arrested and charged with felony battery following the incident, which investigators say occurred after the tenant returned home and discovered he could not access the property because the lock code had been changed. The alleged assault came a day after officers had already responded to the same residence for a separate disturbance involving the two men.
Threats made before alleged assault
According to a probable cause affidavit, Davie police responded to the home on June 22 after Dufrene reported that his tenant was “destroying the property.” Officers encountered both individuals at the scene, and the tenant was transported to a medical facility under the Baker Act, which allows for involuntary mental health evaluations.
Before officers left, Dufrene allegedly issued a warning about what would happen if the tenant returned. “He would kill him,” Dufrene said, according to the affidavit. Officers responded, “You will go to prison” if that happened. Dufrene then allegedly replied, “Okay then I’ll just beat the s— out of him.” Officers warned again, “You will go to jail if you do that.”
The following day, after being released from the hospital, the tenant returned to the property and found himself locked out due to a changed code.
Victim found at Wawa with severe injuries
As the tenant attempted to enter the home, Dufrene allegedly confronted him outside and “began punching [the victim] repeatedly in the face until he lost consciousness,” police wrote in the affidavit.
The tenant later told investigators he “woke up face down” on the ground “to find Dufrene on top of him punching him in the back of the head.” He said Dufrene then choked him, causing him to lose consciousness a second time.
After regaining consciousness, the tenant left the property and wandered the area, later telling investigators he believed “Dufrene was trying to kill him.”
Police were later called to a Wawa convenience store on Davie Road after employees reported a man lingering on the property who appeared to have been severely beaten. Responding officers recognized him as the same tenant involved in the prior day’s dispute.
The tenant provided a sworn statement detailing the alleged attack before being transported to HCA Florida University Hospital. Doctors determined he had suffered a left orbital floor fracture and multiple nasal fractures, according to the affidavit.
Detectives determined there was probable cause to arrest Dufrene, who was taken into custody and booked into the Broward County Jail. He was later released after posting a $15,000 bond. Court records did not immediately indicate when he is scheduled to appear before a judge.
