A Florida mother’s brutal arrest over her parked car outside of her daughter’s school has sparked controversy and criticism of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). She is now being represented by nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels.
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On Tuesday (October 7), 39-year-old Erika McGriff allegedly left her car parked and running in an intersection outside of her daughter’s school, IDEA Bassett Charter School.
During a press conference on Friday (October 10), JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters said McGriff, whom he dubbed a “habitual traffic offender with revoked Florida driving privileges,” illegally parked her running car at an intersection near the school and left it unattended.
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Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Alleges Florida Mother Punched, Bit Officer Over Alleged Illegally Parked Car Outside Daughter’s School
Waters claimed that JSO’s Officer Holton attempted to talk to McGriff about her car. However, he alleges she “escalated the verbal conversation to physical violence.” Bodycam footage shows Holton slamming the mother to the ground and grabbing her hair after an allegedly fist fighting in front a growing crowd outside the school. In the video, Holton pins her neck with his knee as she cries out in pain, and repeatedly yells out “help” or “I can’t breathe.” Her lawyers said she cried for help over twenty times.
Waters alleged, “She violently resisted Officer Holton and eventually, punched him repeatedly and bit him with such force that it left a bite impression on his forearm. It’s shocking to me that you square up to fight a police officer just maybe when you’re gonna get a citation.” Water added, “If you violently resist our officers, if you punch them, if you bite them you will be arrested.”
Subsequently, McGriff was arrested and charged with battering a police officer, resisting arrest with violence, and driving on a suspended license.
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Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Make First Two Arrests Under Florida’s New ‘Halo Law’ That Protects Police And First Responders On Duty
In addition to McGriff’s arrest, two other women (Anita Gibson and Jasmine Jefferson) were arrested for spectating the incident, thus violating Florida’s new “Halo Law.”
The legislation establishes a 25-foot buffer zone between drivers and first responders. Crossing the zone is deemed illegal, along with harassing, threatening, or impeding law enforcement officers or first responders while they perform their official duties.
Under Florida Statute 843.31, “harass means to willfully engage in a course of conduct directed at a first responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no legitimate purpose.”
According to legislation, penalties include fines, jail time, and the seizure of digital devices. If an initial verbal warning is ignored, one is subject to a second-degree misdemeanor charge. Repeat offenders may serve jail time. Additionally, those who video first responders within the 25-foot boundary may have their electronic devices seized.
Gibson and Jefferson’s arrests marked the first time JSO arrested someone for violating the law. Additionally, JSO said they made a fourth arrest amid the Erika McGriff incident. They arrested a teenage girl, who was not identified. Police alleged she threatened to shoot up the charter school because of what happened.
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