Scott Rexroat, 59, can be seen in the video being hit while he is already on the ground and being restrained by two deputies, according to WMNF. The video does not appear to show Rexroat resisting as a deputy with his back facing the camera can be seen repeatedly striking him, although the entire event is not visible due to the angle of the recording.
Police say that Rexroat was arrested for “mocking” supporters of President Donald Trump and later assaulting a police officer, according to WFLA. A picture said to be of Rexroat at the event shows him draped in a confederate flag while wearing a Trump mask and holding a sign that reads “Disabled Bone Spurs Will Work 4 Fools.”
Deputies say that Rexroat was carrying a sign bearing swastikas and calling Trump supporters “Nazis” before striking one of the officers “in the arm and shoulder” while being pulled away from the crowd. Rexroat said that he did not initially know that police were pulling him from the crowd, believing instead that he was being assaulted by a Trump supporter.
“I thought it was a Trump supporter doing that and I just went like that,” Rexroat told the outlet after being released from jail on a $2,750 bond. “There were no swastikas like it says in the police report. I can read it here. It sounds like a bunch of fabricated lies to me. That I was instigating a riot. You know?”
Wendy Wentz, a Biden supporter who also attended the demonstration, reportedly said that the protest had been “peaceful” before the arrival of the police, insisting that the official account of the incident was not accurate.
“There was no Nazi, there was no swastika,” Wentz told WMNF. “There was nothing. The policeman came out of the blue.”
A Pinellas County Sheriff’s office spokesperson told Newsweek that they would not comment on the matter due to the case currently being investigated.
On October 20, a uniformed Miami police officer was disciplined after being spotted wearing a face mask bearing the phrase “Trump 2020… No more bullshit” while participating in early voting, violating policy against officers appearing to endorse or campaign for a candidate while on the job or in uniform.
Last week, a New York City police officer was captured on video shouting “Trump 2020” from the loudspeaker of his patrol car, while taunting bystanders and urging them to post video of the incident online. The officer was later suspended without pay for violating the police department’s conduct guidelines.
