Boca Man, 64, Charged With Assaulting Juvenile During Confrontation on Walking Trail

Vladimir Niagolov (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A 64-year-old Boca Raton man was arrested April 26 after he allegedly struck a juvenile with a broomstick during a confrontation on a walking trail, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, identified as Vladimir Niagolov, faces felony charges of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and child abuse without great bodily harm, deputies said in a police report. The location of the incident was redacted from the police report, except to state that it occurred in unincorporated Boca Raton.

According to the report, deputies responded around 8:35 p.m. to a report of a fight in progress at a trail area. When they arrived, the officers encountered Niagolov and a juvenile male involved in an altercation. Investigators said Niagolov told deputies he had been standing on the trail stretching with a broomstick when a juvenile riding an “e-bike” approached. Niagolov allegedly told the rider to stop and braced himself with the broomstick. He later told deputies the bicyclist rode toward him, prompting him to react, though his account of events changed multiple times, according to the report.

Witnesses and the juvenile gave a different account, the report stated. According to an affidavit filed in court this week, the two began arguing, and at one point the juvenile struck Niagolov in the face. The confrontation continued, and Niagolov allegedly swung the broomstick toward the juvenile’s face, breaking the visor of the juvenile’s helmet and damaging eyeglasses worn underneath. The juvenile was not seriously injured, authorities said.

A witness told deputies he observed part of the incident from a nearby residence, including the juvenile riding on the trail before the confrontation escalated. Deputies concluded that Niagolov allegedly “knowingly and intentionally” swung the broomstick to strike the juvenile and had opportunities to avoid the confrontation but did not do so, according to the report.

The name of the juvenile and any witnesses were redacted in accordance with state confidentiality laws. Niagolov was released from custody at the Palm Beach County Jail after posting a combined $10,000 bond on the two charges.