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Florida man arrested with machete after dispute over early voting locations

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An 18-year-old man was arrested in Florida after police said he brandished a machete during a confrontation at an early voting site, one of the latest cases of violence this election season.

Neptune Beach Police announced the arrest of Caleb James Williams of Neptune Beach on Tuesday. Jail records from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office show he was arrested for aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older and unlawful display of a firearm or dangerous weapon.

“This goes far beyond the exercise of free speech,” Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key Jr. said in announcing the arrest. “Saying your play is your constitutionally protected right, but that is lost the moment you raise a machete menacingly over your head.”

Williams was in custody Wednesday morning and his attorney information was not immediately available.

Suspect with machete part of a Trump support group

Key said Williams and seven male youths went to a parking lot at a busy early voting site in Duval County Tuesday afternoon with the intention of “protesting and angering the opposing political side.” He said it escalated to the point where Williams “swung a machete above his head in an aggressive threatening posture” and struck two women, aged 71 and 54, causing them to call the police out of fear.

A local Democratic organization, the Duval Dems, released a statement saying Williams was with a group carrying Donald Trump flags and approached a group of people waving signs in support of Kamala Harris.

Neptune Beach police assured that the voting location remained safe.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

The 2024 election season was marked by violence

With less than a week to go until Election Day, this election season has already seen increasing threats of political violence.

A recent study found that nearly one in three Republicans who view Trump favorably believe political violence is acceptable, compared to one in four Republicans overall and one in six Americans. Experts have warned that this could be a dangerous choice, USA TODAY previously reported. This is the first presidential election since Trump's refusal to accept his defeat in the 2020 election sowed distrust in the electoral system and fueled the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump has survived two assassination attempts this year. In July, he was shot in the ear by a gunman stationed on a rooftop near a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. In September, the Secret Service opened fire on a suspect after seeing a gun barrel in the bushes at the edge of Trump's golf course, where Trump was golfing.

Election workers and officials have also been threatened this season. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced legal action in four cases in early October:

  • A Philadelphia man has been accused of threatening to “skin” a party official.
  • An Alabama man was accused of threatening to execute election officials in Arizona;
  • An Arizona man has been charged in a shooting at a Democratic campaign office;
  • And a California man has been charged with bombing a courthouse.

On Monday, ballot drop boxes were set on fire in Washington and Oregon, damaging hundreds of ballots.

Contributor: Erin Mansfield, Bart Jansen, James Powell, John Bacon

Kinsey Crowley is a featured news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.