JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two women have been arrested after the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said they violated the Florida’s new “Halo Law.”
That law establishes a 25-foot buffer zone, within which, it is illegal to harass, threaten or impede officers or first responders while they perform their official duties.
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The incident started with an officer confronting Erika McGriff, 39, outside of IDEA Bassett Charter School on Tuesday, after she allegedly left her car parked and running in an intersection.
But the situation quickly escalated to a brawl after police say McGriff began striking the officer.
She was ultimately arrested and charged with battering a police officer, resisting arrest with violence and driving on a suspended license.
“If you violently resist our officers, if you punch them, if you bite them you will be arrested,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters during a news briefing Friday.
But McGriff’s arrest wasn’t the primary subject of the Friday briefing.
Instead, Waters focused on the arrests of Anita Gibson, 59, and Jasmine Jefferson, 36.
During McGriff’s arrest, a crowd formed, and according to JSO, Gibson and Jefferson violated the “Halo Law” amid the chaos.
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“I don’t mind people standing beyond 25 feet videoing, or saying what you’re going to say, because people are going to do that and you have the right to say what you want to say,” Waters said. ”But if it gets to a point where it creates an uncomfortable level for our police officer, who may or may not get hurt by someone in a crowd, then we have to draw the line.”
Waters said the ordeal impacted more than just the officer and those arrested.
He announced a teen student was also arrested on Friday after making a threat to shoot up the school as a result of the incident.
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“These adults modeled and normalized for school-aged children, not only breaking the law, but also lying to the police, violently resisting the police, punching police officers, biting the police officer and harassing the police officer, and encumbering a police officer. Officer Holten was simply doing his job,” Waters said.
Waters noted, while other people were also within 25 feet of the officer during McGriff’s arrest, they weren’t arrested, as they were not acting in a harassing way.
A person who captured cellphone video of the arrest was also not charged.
You can watch the Sheriff’s full news conference below:
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