JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman is facing multiple felony charges in connection with an incident outside a charter school on Tuesday that also led to the arrest of multiple bystanders who Sheriff T.K. Waters said violated Florida’s new “Halo Law.”
Waters said the arrests are the first for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office involving the Halo Law.
The entire encounter was captured on an officer’s body camera video and by at least one bystander’s cellphone. The cellphone video was circulating widely on social media platforms this week.
WATCH: Press play below for a replay of Sheriff Waters’ entire news conference (Warning: Body camera and cellphone video shown during news conference include disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.)
Waters said the incident outside the IDEA charter school on Bassett Road in the Riverview area began when Erika McGriff, 39, who is a habitual traffic offender and had her Florida driver’s license revoked, parked her car in an intersection and left it running when she was out of the vehicle.
Officer Randy Holton, who was serving at the school as part of the Safe Schools program, approached McGriff to address the situation with the car, and she walked away, denying it was her vehicle.
The body camera footage shows McGriff arguing with Holton, saying that she was a passenger in the car and that the driver was in the school.
Holton responds: “Listen, you can get a ticket or you can keep playing these games and go to jail. I’m going to give you one chance. You created the drama.”
The encounter continues to be confrontational, and Holton grips McGriff’s upper right arm, saying he is taking her to her car.
“Please don’t grab me. Don’t grab me,” McGriff says as Holton takes hold of her right wrist with his other hand and directs her toward the back passenger door of his marked JSO SUV. “Please don’t do this in front of my child, sir.”
McGriff tells Holton he’s embarrassing her daughter and as he turns her to handcuff her hands behind her back she begins yelling and cursing.
“You pull away from me again, you’re going to jail,” Holton says as McGriff continues screaming, drawing attention from bystanders.
Holton keeps trying to handcuff McGriff and then warns her: “I’m about to put you on the ground.”
McGriff yells that Holton is hurting her arm and bends forward, and then he whips her roughly to the ground in the street, which is wet from rain. The bystander’s cellphone video then shows Holton get behind McGriff and try to control her with a chokehold.
WATCH: Bystander cellphone video captures violent encounter (Note: News4JAX did not include the audio because it contains profanities)
When McGriff regains her footing, she takes a wild swing at Holton, who says, “Oh, you want to fight?” and swings back. The two continue grappling, and McGriff again ends up on the ground, and Holton grabs her by her hair.
At one point, he is able to get behind McGriff and wrap his arm under her chin in a headlock. She starts screaming that she can’t breathe, which incites the crowd.
“She violently resisted Officer Holton and eventually punched him repeatedly and bit him with such force that she left a bite impression on his forearm,” Waters said.
The bite impression can be clearly seen in the body camera video, and McGriff’s arms can be seen bleeding from apparent wounds suffered while scuffling on the ground with Holton.
Eventually, McGriff was arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence and operating a vehicle with a revoked license.
The charges are all third-degree felonies, each punishable by up to five years in Florida State Prison.
“If you violently resist our officers, if you punch them, if you bite them, you will be arrested,” Waters said. “If you crowd and harass our officers or any first responder after a verbal warning, you will be arrested.”
As the encounter escalated, Holton and McGriff became surrounded by bystanders, some of whom were yelling obscenities at him. According to Waters, at least two of these individuals violated the state’s new Halo Law.
“JSO will not tolerate those who violate the law and victimize our officers or any member of our communities,” Waters said. “These jobs are tough enough without all of that.”
The Halo Law, which was enacted to improve first responder safety, took effect in January.
The law created a mandatory 25-foot safety zone surrounding law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers, while they are performing their jobs.
The law requires the person to be given a verbal warning not to approach.
After the verbal warning, a person can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor if they still come within 25 feet of the first responder with the intent to interfere, threaten or harass them.
“We want to make sure that we let folks know, as part of a public service announcement, that if you do this and you’re asked not to do it, you’re going to get arrested,” Waters said. “Because we’re going to review it.”
Waters said he wanted to be clear that the issue is those who harass, threaten or impede first responders. So anyone trying to help who is within 25 feet will not be charged.
“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. “Just make sure you stand far enough away and allow him or her to do their jobs.”
Waters said the key is to listen to what the officer is telling you, and if they say to back up, then give them that 25-foot bubble.