Oaks Boca Raton Resident Allegedly Shoves Elderly Veteran With Parkinson’s At Publix

Scott Hirsch Arrested, Charged With Battery On A Senior. “TWO HANDED SHOVE.”

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boca Raton man is facing a felony charge after deputies say he shoved an elderly man to the ground outside the Publix supermarket at The Reserve following a road rage-style dispute that spilled into the store’s parking lot.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says Scott Otto Hirsch, 60, who lives on Lake Azure Way in “The Oaks,” was arrested and charged with battery on a person 65 or older, a felony under Florida law. According to the arrest report obtained by BocaNewsNow.com, the confrontation began when the elderly victim’s vehicle passed a black SUV that had blocked traffic near the store at 9720 Clint Moore Road. Words were exchanged in the roadway, and both drivers ended up parking near the Publix, where deputies say the dispute escalated at the store’s entrance.

Investigators say the victim, who is a veteran, uses a walker and told deputies he has Parkinson’s disease along with back and hip problems, was shoved from behind as he tried to walk into the store, knocking him and his walker to the ground. A witness who saw the shove but not the initial argument backed up the account, and Publix surveillance video reviewed by deputies showed a two-hand shove that sent the victim to the ground, according to the report. The victim suffered cuts to his arm and knee, declined treatment at the scene and told deputies he wanted to pursue prosecution.

When deputies located Hirsch, he was read his Miranda rights and invoked his right to an attorney, ending the interview, the report states. Relying on the witness statement, the victim’s account and the surveillance footage, deputies arrested Hirsch and booked him into the Palm Beach County Jail. Stacy Hirsch, identified as Scott’s wife, took his personal belongings while her husband was being cuffed.