A man from Florida was beaten by police in Palm Harbor near Tampa at a political rally, and it was all caught on camera. Scott Rexroat...
A man from Florida was beaten by police in Palm Harbor near Tampa at a political rally, and it was all caught on camera.
Scott Rexroat who is a Democrat from Clearwater, could be seen draped in a Confederate flag and wearing a face shield with a picture of President Trump's face on the front.
Throughout the rally for Trump, the 59-year-old's props infuriated the president's supporters as he continued to hold up signs that were critical of the president.
Rexroat was arrested after deputies accused him of instigating fights and striking a deputy who was trying to pull him away from the crowd.
Police officers maintain that some of the signs he carried contained swastikas.
Scott Rexroat, 59, showed up at the rally wearing the confederate flag, a Trump mask, and carrying a sign with Swastikas
Signs that were mocking the president were also put out on display further infuriating Trump supporters
In footage captured of the incident, a deputy can be seen punching Rexroat five times in the head and then elbowing him violently in the back while he is being forcefully held on the ground.
The tension began ramping up after Trump supporters encroached on an area that Democrats had been using for months to wave signs and show support for their candidate, Joe Biden.
'We're not here to create anything but other than sign-waving,' said Wendy Wentz to WMNF. 'It was the whole reason why I got involved. It was peaceful.'
Rexroat ended up live streaming the confrontation on Facebook
The Democrat supporters says that they usually occupy this particular spot but that on this occasion the Trump supporters deliberately took their spot
When a Pinellas deputy attempted to pull Rexroat away from supporters the deputy ended up striking him in the arm and elbowed him in the back
'I was like, things get crazy. The police are gonna be there, and they're gonna help, but I didn't expect that.'
Another witness who preferred to remain anonymous explained what they saw as Rexroat came under attack: 'The police went from behind him and grabbed his arm. And he didn't know who was after him. And he was saying I didn't do anything and the cops proceeded to beat the, stomp the living out of him,' she said. 'It was horrible. It was absolutely horrible.'
'There was no Nazi, there was no swastika,' she said. 'There was nothing. The policeman came out of the blue.'
Rexroat was quickly forced to the ground. The officers were caught on camera violently hitting him
The entire arrest of the Rexroat was caught on cellphone video. Rexroat's Trump mask could be seen laid out on the ground, right
Violent video shows the deputy punching Rexroat at least five times before then using his elbow to pummel him further
After Rexroat had been pinned to the ground, he was seen hunched over with one deputy's knees on his back, holding his arm behind his back while another held him from the front and tried to bring his other arm behind his back.
The deputy can then be seen punching Rexroat in the head two times with a closed fist before pummeling him elbow into his back.
'It was horrifying. It was absolutely horrifying. Completely unnecessary.'
The woman noted that it was the Trump supporters who had tried to instigate a fight 'from the very start'
'More and more of them started showing up and more and more of them were looking for trouble. These people, they were looking for a fight.'
Rexroat had his hands placed behind him while another officer knelt on his back
Rexroat was forced to the ground in what was seen to be a violent encounter
Apart from the video, there were several other written accounts as to what happened
Rexroat said to WFLA that he initially fought back because he thought it was a Trump supporter that was attacking him rather than a police officer.
'I thought it was a Trump supporter doing that and I just went like that,' Rexroat said. 'There were no swastikas like it says in the police report. It sounds like a bunch of fabricated lies to me. That I was instigating a riot. You know?'
The Sheriff's Office has refused to comment on the arrest. The deputies were not wearing body cameras at the time.
The anonymous woman said that the police appeared to favor Trump supporters that were gathered at the rally and were not helpful when she requested assistance.
'They told me I deserved it,' she said. 'They're not even trying to be advocates for everybody.'
One Trump supporter said Rexroat had been out for several days prior and tried to harass and bait Trump supporters with his Trump-Swastika signs.
Rexroat was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and battery on a law enforcement officer.
He was released from Pinellas County Jail on Monday on $2,750 bond.
Nearby Trump supporters could be seen looking on as Rexroat was forced to the ground
Rexroat was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and battery on a law enforcement officer
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