The police claims that her SUV was a safety hazard and that she interfeered with the vendor’s arrest
1 hour ago
A new video that went viral on TikTok shows two police officers arresting a driver who claims that she just wanted to give $20 to a street flower vendor. The police arrested the vendor for panhandling which is illegal in Florida, while the the woman who was trying to give her money was taken into custody for “resisting arrest and refusing to comply with officers”.
Following the incident in Bonita Springs, Florida, 24-year-old Annika Olson who can be seen being handcuffed, spoke to NBC2 News, sharing her side of the story. Olson claims she had no idea that panhandling was illegal, and all she wanted to do was to help the vendor with a few bucks – as she normally does. However, as she was trying to find the money the traffic light went green which is why she decided to make a U-turn and come back to the same spot. This is where officers stepped in, claiming that Olson’s SUV was a “safety hazard” as it was blocking traffic.
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The police say that the street flower vendor, Norma Garcia, who had been previously deported from the US, had already been warned it was illegal to sell merchandise in the roadway. According to the officers, Olson stepped in as they were investigating Garcia, and she refused to follow their orders when they asked her to move the vehicle from the driving lane on Imperial Parkway. They also claim she approached them and “interfered with their investigation”, leading to her viral arrest.
The TikTok video shot by motorist arelyyy38 had generated nearly 2,000 comments at the time of writing, with most users feeling sorry for Olson, and criticizing the reaction of the police. The backslash led to the quick reaction of Lee County Sheriff’s Office with a Facebook post in a quest to explain the context of the arrest.
Olson who has been charged with refusing to comply with police’s lawful orders, and resisting an officer without violence, says she will be getting a lawyer.
@arelyyy38 Update! I did find her and she is ok. I did send her this video.