Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning people in the state that violent attacks against ICE agents and other law enforcement officials will not be tolerated, pointing to the arrest of a woman who allegedly sucker punched a Florida state trooper.
"This is not Minneapolis," DeSantis said during a Thursday press conference, ABC 7 reported. "This is not going to end well for you in Florida."
According to police footage, the suspect, identified as Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville, Florida, was shown kicking and yelling obscenities while being placed under arrest after she allegedly got out of her car and punched a state trooper outside a Mexican grocery store in Jacksonville, where federal and state officials were conducting an operation.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted a photo on X from a police car's dashboard camera that appeared to show Cruz smiling while she was being taken into custody.
"This is Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville," he wrote. "Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face."
"But unlike Minnesota, we don't put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer," Uthmeier added.
DeSantis commented that people have the right to criticize government policy — but not to become violent.
"You can go out there and protest within respected zones, but the idea that you're going to assault one of our troopers is unacceptable, and you are going to face consequences as a result of that," he said.
Juan Alvarez, the store's owner, recorded the altercation, sharing it with a local television station to show that the law enforcement officers had detained a driver before Cruz allegedly punched the police officer.
"After that, they detained another person, and it seems they got into an altercation with that person," he said. "It turned violent, and that led to the presence of a lot more police and federal enforcement showing up."
Cruz is facing several charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting officers with violence, and threatening harm to officers.
She is out on bond and scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 4.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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