SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted in July for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a dangerous teen armed with Skittles and iced tea, was taken briefly into protective custody by police after his estranged wife turned aggressive. "He's in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and keeps saying step closer and he's gonna shoot us," Shellie Zimmerman told a 911 operator, panting and agitated. Police units responded immediately and sheltered George Zimmerman, 29, in their patrol car to "protect him from Shellie, whom he described as the aggressor in the incident," according to Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney. O'Mara insinuated that the attack against Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, could have been a racially motivated hate crime.
"With George's pristine record and history with law enforcement, the officers had no reason to doubt his version of events," O'Mara said, praising police for removing his client from the threat of domestic, and potentially racial, violence.
During her frantic call to 911, Shellie Zimmerman can be heard telling her father to take cover, fearing that George might begin shooting. Last week she filed for divorce and accused her husband of striking her father and breaking her iPad. Yet, she declined to press charges.
O'Mara confirmed that George was carrying his weapon as he always does, even in the shower.
"He was armed ... He put his hand [on the gun] to make sure it was holstered," O'Mara told reporters. "When Shellie attacked, George acted instantly to make sure she didn't grab his firearm. He knows how to carry responsibly. Believe me, if he'd wanted her dead...well, cleanup on aisle five, if you know what I mean."
During their questioning of Zimmerman, police took possession of his weapon but gave it back moments later. "It was pretty clear he was preparing to draw because he perceived a grave threat to his life," one officer explained. "Under the state's Stand Your Ground law, he'd have a solid case. We're certain he'd walk."
O'Mara discounted Shellie's 911 call as circumstantial and lacking the proper context.
"What you're hearing on the recording and reading in the transcript is merely her side of the story," O'Mara said. "She never describes the events leading to her call, and we have no idea whether her father was really there. I believe she was fabricating everything for the benefit of her divorce. Let's face it, she's a liar. She pleaded guilty to perjury just a few weeks ago."
In August, Shellie Zimmerman confessed to lying about the couple's finances during a bond hearing that took place last year. She accepted a misdemeanor perjury charge as part of a plea deal to avoid a felony conviction. She was sentenced to serve one year of probation under the bargain.
"A filthy, stinky liar. For all we know, she sounded out of breath on the 911 call because she was exhausted from trying to overpower George, not because she was scared," O'Mara noted. "The only reason George didn't call the police first was because he'd taken refuge in his car while that prevaricating she-beast attacked him. I'm willing to wager that her iPad broke because she hurled at her defenseless husband."
According to officers on the scene, Zimmerman claimed to have been punched, pushed to the ground and beaten by Shellie.
"Mr. Zimmerman's description of the confrontation was very similar to his Trayvon Martin account," one officer observed. "At first, we didn't see any apparent injuries. But after Mr. Zimmerman returned from a short bathroom break, we looked again and found visible lacerations and bruises about his face and neck. His hands were also bleeding, which we hadn't noticed before."
O'Mara said he inspected the inside of the Zimmerman's home shortly after the incident, discovering several packages of Skittles candy and what appeared to be a large pitcher of sun tea.
"On the surface, that might seem innocent enough, but after it's done brewing, sun tea becomes iced tea," O'Mara explained. "As we have proven in court, iced tea and Skittles legally constitute perilous weapons that warrant a response of deadly force."
O'Mara also cautioned against ruling out issues of race in the assault.
"We live in a divisive and bigoted society, especially in places as racially diverse as Florida," he pointed out. "Right now, and it's merely speculative, I wouldn't be opposed to pursuing an investigation based on a racially motivated attack."
George Zimmerman is Hispanic. His wife is Caucasian.
"George is a Spanish-speaking minority with many black family members and friends," Zimmerman's father wrote to local papers after Trayvon Martin viciously attacked his son with candy and a beverage during a neighborhood watch patrol.
"It would be irresponsible to rule out the possibility of a hate crime," O'Mara said. "Tensions in the area are at an all-time high. During the summer, the entire state was on the verge of mass race riots for some reason or another. I'm not sure what provoked them, but it's no secret that minorities here feel whites are trying to oppress them. Shellie, being white, may have succumbed to those same paranoid delusions and attempted to harm George, a minority. It wouldn't be the first time he's had to defend himself from an assailant of another race."
No arrests are planned and no charges are expected to be filed by either party, but O'Mara said he will be meeting with his client and authorities to explore the incident in greater depth. He also plans to file a restraining order against Shellie, which could negatively affect her current probation arrangement.
2013. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See disclaimers.