Neptune Beach police have arrested a machete-wielding man at a Duval County polling place

Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key Jr. angrily condemned the actions of an 18-year-old man who brandished a machete during a standoff at a busy early voting site for the beaches and said it crossed the line from First Amendment to criminal activity.

The arrest came after a group of teenagers who support former President Donald Trump showed up at a polling station.

Police arrested Caleb James Williams of Neptune Beach on a charge of aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older and a charge of improper display of a firearm or dangerous weapon.

“This goes far beyond free speech,” Key said when police announced the arrest Tuesday. “Saying your figure is your First Amendment right, but that goes out the window the moment you raise a machete over your head in a threatening manner.”

The Duval County Democratic Party praised the response of the Neptune Beach Police Department. The Democratic Party said in a statement that the group confronted peaceful supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee. Videos and photos of the group showed it carrying a “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted For Trump” banner in support of Trump, the Republican nominee.

“This disturbing act of intimidation was quickly responded to by the Neptune Beach Police, who arrived within minutes to assess and de-escalate the situation,” the statement said.

A police response at about 4 p.m. Tuesday did not stop early voting at the Neptune Branch library, which was the second busiest of the 24 early voting locations in Duval County. Voting resumed as usual on Wednesday morning.

Key said Williams and seven juvenile males went to a parking lot near an early voting site with the intent to “protest and incite hostility against the opposition political party.” He said it escalated to Williams “swinging the machete in an aggressive position overhead” at two women, aged 71 and 54, prompting them to call the police in fear.

“To say I’m concerned is an understatement,” Key said. “I’m mad that this happened on Neptune Beach.”

He said his department has contacted Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland about allowing voters to visit the polling station without fear for their personal safety.

“It was a safe place to vote today before this incident, and it will continue to be a safe place to vote,” he said. “We’re committed to that, and we’re always looking at plans to make it safer.”

Key said the ongoing investigation found no wrongdoing by minors in the group.

“This group of juveniles probably didn’t use their heads, and they didn’t think very clearly about what they wanted to accomplish, because again, it’s one thing to step up and exercise your First Amendment right that we hold so dearly. the right to express yourself, but the moment you turn to violence, it flies away,” Key said.

While the Duval County Democratic Party said in a statement that “violence and intimidation have no place in our democratic process,” the Duval County Republican Party also praised the lauded police “for quickly apprehending the individual involved.”

“In an environment of high political tension, with President Trump surviving two assassination attempts and Republican supporters being derided as Nazis and called ‘trash’ by Joe Biden, we call for calm as we approach the end of this election season,” the Republican Party said. said

The statewide Florida for All Coalition said the incident in Neptune Beach underscores the importance of voters getting out to the polls.

“Voters are the heroes of this story,” said Florida for All Executive Director Angie Nixon, who is also a Jacksonville County House Democrat. “They show up in the face of fear and decide to make their voices heard. This scare tactic won’t work.”

(This story has been updated to add new information.)