ORLANDO FLORIDA, A protester was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Friday during a rally against mass deportation outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Orlando, authorities said.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the arrest occurred as demonstrators gathered outside the ICE office on Delegates Drive. An arrest affidavit identified the suspect as 23-year-old Alexis Brianna Clark.
Investigators allege Clark blocked the path of and then struck a gray Chevrolet Impala that was identified as a federal law enforcement vehicle. She has been charged with assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence.
In the affidavit, a deputy stated that Clark was wearing a black motorcycle helmet over a ski mask when she allegedly punched the passenger-side mirror housing and the passenger-side window of the vehicle. The report noted that additional protesters began yelling and approaching the Impala, prompting deputies on bicycles to move in. Deputies said they believed the situation was escalating and could become physical or violent.
Authorities said deputies attempted to arrest Clark, who allegedly resisted. She was taken to the ground, handcuffed, and escorted into the ICE office.
The incident comes amid growing tensions nationwide during protests involving federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. While confrontations between protesters and federal agents have increased in other parts of the country, officials noted that similar incidents have been relatively uncommon in Central Florida.
“The right of all people to peacefully assemble or protest is fundamental, and a cornerstone of every American’s First Amendment right to free speech,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a statement. “What is not protected, however, is the destruction of property or violence against any member of our community.”
As of Friday evening, Clark was being held on a $1,000 bond.
