A Florida Deputy Threatens To Show 'What Fucking Freedom of Speech Is' During an Arrest
The Palm Beach County sheriff said he does not "condone" the behavior in the video.
A Florida deputy is on administrative leave, thanks to a video of him telling a teenager as he arrests him that he'll show him "what fucking freedom of speech is."
The exchange occurred between Charles Rhoads of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and 19-year-old Kevin Wygant.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump tweeted a short clip of an exchange between Wygant and Rhoads.
Police can't take away your 1st amendment right to freedom of speech! This Palm Beach cop arrested Kevin after he witnessed a fight & said "I'll show you what f***ing freedom of speech is!" Only trying to help, Kevin was ARRESTED for trespassing. This is UNACCEPTABLE behavior!! pic.twitter.com/H6mRgiuD9y
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 17, 2020
The video begins in the middle of the encounter between Wygant and Rhoads, with Wygant saying, "Yes, I do have the freedom of speech," while his hands and cuffed behind his back. (It's unclear what this is in response to.)
Rhoads grabs the back of Wygant's shirt, pushes him up against a wall, and says "I'll show you what fucking freedom of speech is" against Wygant's ear.
When the people recording the interview voice their opposition to Rhoads' behavior, Rhoads turns and uses an expletive in an attempt to have them removed from the area.
According to the sheriff's office, the incident began with a Wellington restaurant manager contacting the authorities to remove two individuals who refused to leave the establishment. Without providing any additional information, the statement states that Wygant was arrested for trespassing, disorderly intoxication, resisting without violence, and obstruction, while the second individual was arrested for trespassing. WPTV reports that deputies asked Wygant to leave the restaurant several times and that he was arrested after ignoring their warnings and returning.
Wygant, however, says there's more to the story. In an interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, he claimed that he was attempting to defuse a fight when the deputies arrived. According to Wygant, he was initially told that he was allowed to leave but the deputies changed their mind, and that's when he was arrested for trespassing.
Rhoads has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said of the incident, "I DO NOT condone this behavior and take this matter very seriously." Though Bradshaw similarly did not name Rhoads in the statement, he reiterated that the deputy was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
