An 18-year-old young man was arrested for ‘animating’ voters with a machete at a polling place in Neptune Beach.

Neptune Beach Police arrested 18-year-old Caleb James Williams on aggravated assault charges after he allegedly threatened two women with a machete at the Beaches Branch Library, an early voting site. The incident involved a group protesting with a Trump flag.

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According to NBPD, officers were dispatched to the library designated as a polling location for early voting at 4:05 p.m., after receiving reports of a machete-wielding subject.

Upon arrival, police were directed by bystanders to Williams, who was found with a group of men gathered around a truck in the parking lot. The group reportedly showed up to protest by displaying a Trump flag and carrying a Trump sign stabbed with a machete, which escalated into a verbal confrontation.

A 71-year-old victim reported that Williams approached her in an intimidating manner with a machete raised above her head, causing her to fear for her safety. Another victim, a 54-year-old woman standing next to the first victim, also expressed concern about Williams’ injuries. He had a photo of Williams approaching them with a machete.

The truck Williams was standing next to was carrying a 23-inch machete (18-inch blade). Both the machete and the photograph were collected and placed in the property room of the Neptune Beach Police Department.

Williams was arrested and transported to the Duval County Jail, facing charges of aggravated assault on a 65-year-old person and improper display of a dangerous weapon.

Authorities emphasized that the individuals were there to cause unrest and said, “Voting is a sacred right that goes beyond freedom of expression, especially when you raise the machete in a threatening manner.”

Police assured the public that the library remained a safe place to vote and expressed disappointment over the incident, with authorities refusing to specify which party the group was trying to intimidate voters on behalf of.

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