JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The leader of the New Black Panther Party was arrested Monday on a charge of resisting an officer without violence.
Mikhail Muhammad, 50, was booked into the Duval County jail.
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Police said they went to Muhammad's home in the 1400 block of North Myrtle Avenue after his wife texted a friend saying Muhammad wouldn't let her leave the house and she was deathly afraid of him.
Officers told Muhammad they received information his wife might be in danger, according to a police report.
Muhammad's wife told officers she wanted to leave him and asked that officers gather her things from her home because she was afraid to go back inside, according to the report.
The officers went back to the home to speak with Muhammad about getting his wife's passport and property, telling him that she gave them permission to enter the home, but Muhammad told them they couldn't have his wife's things and he refused to allow them to get her property, according to the police report.
Police asked Muhammad several times to allow them inside and then told Muhammad that if he didn't let them in he'd be arrested, according to the report.
Muhammad told police they'd have to arrest him because he was not willing to let them in, according to the report.
The New Black Panther Party leader was then arrested, and his wife's property was returned to her. Muhammad told police he didn't understand his Miranda rights and said his wife has all free will to leave if she wants.
According to a police report, at one point this month, Muhammad's wife was screaming out an open window trying to get the attention of a passerby. She said he keeps the doors and windows shut all the time.
Muhammad will make a public statement at a news conference at 5 p.m. Tuesday about what he claims was the unlawful entry into his house and police harassment.