WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A disturbance involving a firearm at a Winter Haven business on Tuesday afternoon resulted in a police response and the involvement of the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
The incident occurred around 1:15 p.m. at Santiago’s store on Havendale Boulevard. Police were called to the scene after 29-year-old Godfrey Hercules II was seen with a firearm during an altercation with a store employee, 46-year-old Jesus Crespo Perez, in the parking lot.
Hercules left the scene with a female passenger and a young child in a red Nissan Altima.
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Officers located the vehicle at the American Legion in Winter Haven. Hercules was apprehended on the side of the building, while the female passenger, 27-year-old Mariah Banks, and her young child were found nearby.
A Diamondback 9mm semiautomatic pistol was located inside the vehicle.
Officer’s Actions Scrutinized
The incident has drawn attention to the actions of one officer who, while approaching Banks and her child, initially had his firearm drawn.
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The Winter Haven Police Department stated that the officer’s actions were appropriate, given the report of a firearm involved and the need to exercise caution.
From the body-cam footage, the officer appears to have become aware of the child’s presence; he lowered his weapon. The department says that the officer’s weapon was never pointed at the child.
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As required by law, the police department notified DCF due to the violent nature of the incident and the presence of a child.
Despite the initial altercation and the presence of a firearm, Perez declined to press charges against Hercules and Banks. However, complaint affidavits were filed with the State Attorney’s Office for Hercules for affray and improper display of a weapon, and for Perez for affray.
Winter Haven Police Chief Vance Monroe, Assistant City Manager for Public Safety Charlie Bird, and City Manager T. Michael Stavres will hold a press conference at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday to address the incident and answer questions from the media.
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