Video shows a man arrested after blocking Trump’s motorcade in Miami. He now faces charges
A man in a black-and-white striped prison costume who darted in front of Donald Trump’s motorcade Tuesday in downtown Miami is now facing charges after being swiftly detained by law enforcement following the former President’s first appearance in federal court.
Miami police is recommending that prosecutors charge Domenic Santana with disorderly conduct, resisting an officer without violence and obstructing traffic without a permit. The 61-year-old Miami man was released Wednesday morning from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,000 bond, records show.
Police say he was the only person arrested near the Wilkie D. Ferguson U.S. Courthouse, 400 North Miami Ave., where a crowd of roughly 1,500 people protested Tuesday afternoon in favor and against Trump’s indictment on 37 felony charges related to allegations that he illegally kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and obstructed the FBI’s efforts to investigate.
There were no fights or injuries, but officers did have to intervene between protesters with different views to keep the peace, Ofc. Michael Vega, a Miami police spokesman, told the Miami Herald in an email Wednesday.
“We were able to allow everyone to express themselves,” Vega said.
The safety plan worked, Miami police Chief Manuel A. Morales said Wednesday in a press conference at Hyatt Regency Miami, 400 Southeast Second Ave. He also lauded his officers for keeping everyone safe.
“The absolute restraint, the professionalism and the compassion that they showed out there — being a pretty hot Miami day — was truly worthy of recognition,” Morales said.
Protester blocks Trump’s motorcade
Holding a sign that read “Lock him up,” Santana walked to the front of the convoy before he was swiftly removed from the road and taken into custody near Northwest 3rd Street and 1st Avenue around 4 p.m., footage from the incident shows.
According to his police report, an undercover Miami police sergeant first observed Santana on the sidewalk arguing with Trump supporters just before officers blocked the intersection to make way for the president’s motorcade, which consisted of 30 Miami-Dade police vehicles and around 10 SUVs. After two police vehicles and one SUV drove past Santana, Miami police say he ran into the middle of the street holding the sign and blocked the convoy from moving forward, causing another slow-moving SUV to swerve to avoid colliding with him.
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Officers then ran towards Santana, and while attempting to take him into custody, “he tensed up his arms and pulled away,” police said.
Footage showed Santana face-down and in handcuffs before officers helped him get back on his feet.
In a phone call with the Herald on Wednesday afternoon, Santana asserted it wasn’t his intention to block the convoy. He alleges he was trying to get away from a violent crowd of trump supporters when he ended up on the roadway.
Throughout the day, police said officers told Santana to avoid the area where the Trump supporters were standing to prevent further conflict.
“The defendant returned every time and kept enticing the crowd,” police said.
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As for the accusations that he kept returning to where Trump fans were huddled despite officer’s instructions to stay away, Santana, a Cuban-American, said he had the same right to be there as anyone else.
“This is not Cuba,” he said in Spanish, referring to the lack of freedom in the Caribbean nation.
