OFF-DUTY Cop Punches Man Bloody In Front Of His Toddler In Walmart

A Jacksonville man was arrested Sunday night and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer after a scuffle with an off-duty police officer inside a Northside Walmart.

According to an arrest report released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when an employee at the Walmart at River City Marketplace told security that Yoel Rodriguez, 43, and his family refused to leave the store after it had closed.

The JSO officer, who according to the report was working in an off-duty capacity while in uniform providing extra patrols in the area, then confronted Rodriguez in the checkout line while multiple bystanders recorded video on cell phones.

The video begins with the JSO officer and Rodriguez arguing while Rodriguez’s wife and a small child look on. It’s unclear exactly what is being said, and large portions of the arrest report that likely contain more context were redacted by JSO.

The officer then tries to grab Rodriguez’s arm in an apparent attempt to detain him, the video shows, but Rodriguez pulls away and pushes the officer’s arm away. The officer tries to grab Rodriguez again and once again Rodriguez pulls away.

In translating this video, Rodriguez is telling the officer in Spanish: “Let me go, don’t touch me."

That’s when the officer punches Rodriguez in the face multiple times, knocking him to the ground and bloodying his face while his wife screams in the background.

After a struggle, Rodriguez is handcuffed while his wife pulls at the officer’s arms.

David Rodriguez, Yoel’s nephew, said his uncle and aunt shown in the video don’t speak English which played a role in what happened.

“They told me that the officer asked Yoel to leave but Yoel didn’t understand what was going on and he was just shopping. Honestly, I don’t understand why the officer did what he did,” David Rodriguez said.

A witness who spoke with JSO about the incident said that Walmart employees overreacted when they called for the police.

Rodriguez, who has two black eyes in his mug photo, was ordered held on $7,500 bond Monday morning. He told the judge through an interpreter he also has a broken nose.