Fort Lauderdale,FL : Man deliberately drove car at friend and killed him, Fort Lauderdale on April, Thursday 5th 2018

Lauderhill man is facing a murder charge after police say he intentionally drove a car at a friend, striking and killing him.

Jeffrey Higgs died about 6:10 p.m. Thursday at the scene of the crash, in the 2800 block of Northwest Nineteenth Street in Fort Lauderdale, police spokeswoman Casey Liening said.

A Honda Accord driven by Sidney Molines hit Higgs, 31, with such force that his body flew over a 6-foot iron fence and landed about 50 feet away from the point of impact, according to prosecutor Eric Linder, who spoke Friday during a bond court hearing.

Molines, 23, of Lauderhill, works for a towing company. He is claiming self-defense, Assistant Public Defender Hector Romero told Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica.

Molines intentionally struck Higgs, police said. Linder, quoting from the arrest report, told the judge, “Multiple witnesses observed Mr. Molines striking the alleged victim with his vehicle, accelerating before striking and changing lanes in the direction of the alleged victim.”

The Honda crashed into a light pole. Witnesses told police that Molines got out of the car and tried to run away but bystanders detained him, the report said.

Higgs, of Fort Lauderdale, is the father of five children who live with their mother. The violence began when Higgs arrived to visit the kids and Molines, who is dating their mother, was there. The men began arguing, prompting someone to call 911, the report said.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue paramedics found Higgs was dead when they arrived, Battalion Chief Gregory May said. Reached by phone Friday, a relative of Higgs said he was too upset to comment.

Firefighters took Molines and his passenger, the woman the men were fighting over, to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Molines was later arrested on suspicion of committing one count of murder without premeditation.

The neighborhood where the crash happened is between State Road 7 and Interstate 95, north of West Sunrise Boulevard.

During the bond court hearing, Molines told Mollica that he was “low risk, never missed any court date and I’d be willing to pay $100,000 bond. I’m the one who called police.”

Linder told the court that Molines had been out of jail on bond after a March 18 arrest in Weston when he was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Romero told Mollica that Molines is “adamant about his innocence. This is a self-defense claim. He’s looking forward to having his day in court and being able to confront his accusers. As far as Mr. Molines is concerned, he’s the victim here, judge.”

Mollica ordered Molines held without bond until he goes before his trial judge.

Molines appeared in court with his right arm in a sling, and Romero asked that his injuries be photographed, a request the judge granted.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call Detective Orlando Almanzar at 954-828-5546 or Broward County Crime Stoppers, at 954-493-8477. The organization accepts anonymous tips and pays up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

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Man deliberately drove car at friend and killed him, Fort Lauderdale police say