TAMPA — Protesters were outraged Saturday when one of their own was arrested after clinging to the hood of a car that rolled through what had been a peaceful demonstration in Hyde Park. The protesters insisted that Tampa police arrested the wrong person and that the driver should have been taken to jail.
An arrest report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times through a public records request Monday provides details of the allegations against Jason Stuart Flores, a 35-year-old St. Petersburg activist charged with criminal mischief, unlawful assembly, obstructing a highway and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.
The male driver, who is referred to in the report only as “the victim,” was heading east on West Swann Avenue just west of Albany Avenue “when he approached a group of protesters gathered in the roadway causing him to stop his vehicle,” the report says.
“As the victim attempted to turn away from the protesters, several blocked his path of movement by standing in (the) roadway causing him to stop his vehicle,” the report states. “Some of the protesters then began to hit and kick his vehicle at which time the defendant, Jason Flores, jumped on the hood of the victim’s vehicle and began to strike the windshield, causing it to shatter.”
Along with breaking the windshield, Flores damaged the car’s hood, causing about $2,000 in damage, according to the report.
“Upon contact with uniformed law enforcement officers, Flores physically resisted efforts by officers to take him into custody by bracing/tensing and pulling away,” the report says. He was then taken into custody without further incident.
Protesters said they were having a moment of silence when the driver of the Volkswagen sedan edged toward them and did not stop.
Part of the incident was captured on video and a Times reporter was present.
The Volkswagen driver turned right onto Swann and drove away with one protester, later identified as Flores, still clinging to the hood. The incident ended soon after at Irish 31 Pub House & Eatery at Swann and Rome Avenue. Police vehicles sped into the area and as many as 20 officers, some in helmets, converged on the street.
The officers told the Volkswagen driver to leave the area and the driver complied. Demonstrators were irate. Police held them back then left.
Protesters then headed to the Orient Road Jail, where they believed Flores had been taken. They demanded that he be freed, banging on the lobby’s locked doors and yelling at the jail staff inside the bail office.
The protesters later learned that Flores had been taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries. He was booked into the jail about 10:45 p.m. that night and released about 8:30 a.m. Sunday after posting bail of $3,250, jail records show.
The criminal mischief charge is a third-degree felony because the damage to the car was greater than $1,000, the threshold set by Florida law, records show.
Flores is an activist with the group Florida Indigenous Rights and Environmental Equality, or FIREE, and the group posted his bail for him, a representative told the Times Sunday. Representatives said Flores was not available for an interview and that FIREE will hold a news conference about the incident at 5:30 p.m. today in Lykes Gaslight Park in downtown Tampa.
“One of ours and another brown-skinned brother were run over in Tampa while we were supporting Black Lives Matter Tampa,” the group tweeted on Saturday. “Of course Tampa PD haven’t arrested or charged the driver aka the assailant. Tampa PD arrested our injured brother. Tampa PD supporting + protecting hate.”
FIREE representatives did not immediately respond to emails from the Times on Monday morning.
The incident marked the second weekend in a row that contact between protesters and motorists near the Hyde Park Village restaurant and shopping area sent a protester to the hospital.
Tampa activist Jae Passmore, 35, of Tampa, was hospitalized June 21 after she was struck and injured during a protest near Hyde Park Village. Tampa police said they were investigating that incident.
Passmore was among the protesters who gathered at the jail Saturday to demand Flores’ release.
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Coverage of local and national protests from the Tampa Bay Times
HOW TO SUPPORT: Whether you’re protesting or staying inside, here are ways to educate yourself and support black-owned businesses.
WHAT PROTESTERS WANT: Protesters explain what changes would make them feel like the movement is successful.
WHAT ARE NON-LETHAL AND LESS-LETHAL WEAPONS? A guide to what’s used in local and national protests.
WHAT ARE ARRESTED PROTESTERS CHARGED WITH? About half the charges filed have included unlawful assembly.
CAN YOU BE FIRED FOR PROTESTING? In Florida, you can. Learn more.
HEADING TO A PROTEST? How to protect eyes from teargas, pepper spray and rubber bullets.
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