Man waves machete with Trump supporters at Florida polling station

An 18-year-old Florida man is successful custody aft he wielded a machete astatine a polling position successful Florida Tuesday, successful an evident effort to harass voters who did not stock his governmental views, constabulary said. The man came pinch a group to nan polling tract to show support for erstwhile President Donald Trump, authorities said.

Caleb Williams is charged pinch aggravated battle connected a personification 65 years of property aliases older and improper accumulation of a firearm aliases vulnerable limb for his alleged domiciled successful nan incident, said Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key astatine a news conference. 

The incident happened astatine astir 4:00 p.m. Tuesday day successful nan parking batch of Beaches Branch Library, which operated arsenic an early voting installation up of nan Nov. 5 election, nan constabulary main said. Williams arrived astatine nan spot pinch a group of teenagers who traveled to nan polling location "to protestation and antagonize nan opposing governmental side," Key said. Seven different group successful nan group were astir 16 aliases 17 years old, pinch Williams being nan only adult. 

The business escalated erstwhile Williams "brandished a machete successful an aggressive, threatening posture complete his head," according to police. He faced 2 people, a 71-year-old female and a 54-year-old woman, arsenic he held nan weapon, constabulary said. 

The women called constabulary retired of fear, Key said, adding, "to opportunity I'm disturbed successful an understatement."

"The group was location for nary different logic but for sick intentions, to origin a disturbance. This is not an incident of solely a First Amendment protected right, but 1 wherever they were simply location to origin a ruckus," said nan constabulary chief. "Voting successful our state is 1 of nan astir ineffable and protected authorities we have. Ensuring everyone's correct to ballot is important and it will not beryllium impeded."

The Neptune Beach Police Department shared an image on its Facebook page showing Williams holding nan machete supra his caput successful nan parking lot, on pinch different image of nan limb itself. They besides posted his booking photograph from nan Duval County jail.

Williams remained successful jailhouse Wednesday morning, CBS connection WJAX-TV reported. The position besides published video recorded astatine nan tract of nan incident, which showed nan group of teenagers holding flags and signs supporting Trump's reelection campaign, and chanting Trump's name. Williams successful nan video appeared to person speared 1 of nan flags pinch his machete, and waved it successful nan aerial attached to nan extremity of his weapon.

In:
• Voting
• Donald Trump
• Election
• Florida
• Crime