A Democratic lawmaker’s security entourage spurred a police investigation after being seen in a video allegedly pushing a man to the ground.
Security personnel for Rep. Val Demings, a Florida Democrat running to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), may have broken the law by the act, according to an investigation by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
The probe centers around a video clip obtained by Florida Politics that shows two men shoving another man during a meet-and-greet at a public park earlier this month. Reports said the man shoved was prevented by Demmings’ security from entering the Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park, where she was holding an event.
The report said that the man who was pushed down appears to be a video tracker — someone who follows politicians around and asks them tough questions while taking video.
“Security officials take potential threats and threatening behavior toward the Chief seriously,” Christian Slater, communications director for the Demings campaign, noted in a statement to Florida Politics, though he did not provide any evidence that the man presented a threat. “In this instance the individual did not respond to multiple requests to leave and charged at security personnel in pursuit of Chief Demings’ approaching vehicle.”
Demings used to be the police chief of Orlando.
Florida Politics reports:
A clip shows two security guards, one of whom shouts “Don’t do it,” before the man is pushed down to the ground on the street. Another security staffer then says, “You can’t get up. Stay down.”
“What are you doing?” the man pushed to the ground asks. Clearly surprised, he uses an expletive as he again questions why guards are taking such action.
Demings officials stood by the security team’s handling of the campaign tracker.
“Democrats want to defund the police but holy cow if you film them in public they’ll have their private security pummel you,” reporter Matthew Foldi wrote on Twitter along with a video clip of the alleged incident.
Democrats want to defund the police but holy cow if you film them in public they’ll have their private security pummel you…ON CAMERA
Yikes from #FLSEN candidate @valdemings pic.twitter.com/3OLFJbDoUl
(1/2)
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) August 16, 2022
“Holy crap!!” tweeted Steve Guest, special adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in response to the video. “Florida Democrat Val Demings’ private security team just beat the crap out of a tracker… and yes, it’s on video. What’s not on video: the vehicle Demings’ campaign claims was approaching.”
Another video clip was posted online that appears to have been taken after the incident.
“In corrections I used to bounce people like you off their head in the jail,” one member of the security team told the man who appeared to have been pushed down.
Here’s the conversation, via The Daily Wire:
“Except for I don’t do bad things,” the man responded. “I’m not one of those people. I’m just doing my job. That’s it. I’ve been good to you guys.”
“Don’t touch me,” the security guard says. “Oh my god.”
“I’ve been so good, and y’all are just being ridiculous sometimes,” the man responded. “I just want to be even keel.”
“Let’s be even keel right now,” the security guard said. “So don’t take it personal, alright.”
“No I’m not,” the man responded. “Everything that just happened, we’re good.”
“Going forward don’t take it personal,” the security guard repeated.
“Take what personal?” the man asked.
“What’s going to happen to you,” the security guard answered.
Here’s the second part of the scuffle in which one of Val Demmings’ security guys tells a video tracker after shoving him to the ground “In corrections, I used to bounce people like you off their head in the jail.” pic.twitter.com/00fcY1Khbp
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 16, 2022
