KNIVES OUT

Machete-Wielding Teen Accused of Threatening Florida Voters

Police in Neptune Beach have attempted to assure residents that polling stations in the county remain safe for voters.

Police in Florida on Tuesday arrested a machete-wielding teenager, who was part of a group of adolescents allegedly intimidating Democratic voters at a polling station. Caleb James Williams, 18, was taken into custody in Neptune Beach on charges of aggravated assault and improper exhibition of a weapon for reportedly menacing two women, ages 71 and 54, with an 18-inch blade. According to the Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael J. Key Jr., officers arrived at the polling location and found a group seven juveniles and one adult in the library‘s parking lot with Donald Trump campaign paraphernalia. “The investigation revealed that the group arrived to protest and antagonize the opposing political side,” he said. The group, Key continued, approached pro-Kamala Harris sign-wavers and, after an argument began, Williams “brandished a machete in an aggressive, threatening posture over his head.” While the agency claimed it does not plan to arrest the other group members, Key slammed Williams’ behavior as going “way beyond expressing freedom of speech.” The local Democratic party said it was “deeply concerned” by Tuesday’s events, but commended law enforcement’s swift response. Despite the machete incident, police say that the polling station and other sites in the county are safe for voters.