, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol arrested a man involved in a hit-and-run incident that escalated into an alleged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Orlando.
The incident began on May 11, 2026, with a hit-and-run accident involving a red Nissan and a white BMW at 4995 W Colonial Drive. While a trooper was obtaining the crash victim’s statement, two men approached, alleging that the same person who committed the hit-and-run had engaged in a verbal altercation with them and had pointed a gun.
The assault victim told deputies that he was getting something from his vehicle when he heard a male voice screaming at him from Colonial Drive. He initially did not recognize the person or the white vehicle. He stated he thought it was a customer passing by a store trying to get his attention.
As the victim approached to recognize the person, he identified him as Mahmoud Samir Nofal. He alleged he could hear Nofal yelling threats in Arabic, including, “I’m going to get you/I’m going to kill you.” The victim also observed Nofal point a black handgun toward him and saw an AK-47 style rifle resting on Nofal’s lap. He later told troopers that, as Nofal was driving west, Nofal attempted to make a right turn into the plaza, entered the right-turn lane, and crashed into the red Nissan.
FHP was provided with video of the crash and a photograph of Nofal’s Florida driver’s license, which depicted Nofal’s address. The victim advised that the address on Nofal’s license was not his current address and provided what he alleged to be Nofal’s new address in Kissimmee. He also alleged that Nofal was driving the white BMW sedan as a rental.
On May 21, 2026, a trooper conducted a follow-up at 5254 Paradise Cay Circle and observed a blue BMW SUV, which a computer search revealed Nofal owned. A white BMW sedan was not present in the parking lot. An officer recognized Nofal when he answered the door and detained him.
Nofal alleged he had never been in a white BMW and only drives his blue SUV. However, a prior computer search indicated Nofal was not driving his blue SUV on May 11, 2026. Nofal’s statements about his whereabouts were inconsistent with a vehicle query from May 11, 2026. Nofal advised that he knows who made the allegation due to an ongoing issue regarding his current girlfriend.
Based on the findings and the active warrant status, Nofal was arrested. He was transported to the Orange County jail without further incident.
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