NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — On the Fourth of July in Neptune Beach, hundreds gathered along First Street to hear Lane Pittman play the national anthem on his guitar. It was a moment the self-described entertainer says he'll never forget.
Later, as the crowd cheered, video shows Neptune Beach police moving in and arresting Pittman for breaching the peace.
The problem started minutes earlier when Pittman first began playing in the street. In a second video, we see him talking to officers, who he says gave him permission to keep playing.
"I asked if I could just move it back to the sidewalk, and he said that was fine."
As Pittman began to play, the crowd grew to an estimated 300 people.
Neptune Beach Police Chief David Sembach says it simply wasn't safe and that his officers really gave Pittman a warning.
"They told him he was going to have to stop playing because his playing was blocking the street to vehicles."
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Sembach says police allowed Pittman to finish out of respect for the national anthem, but the crowd then turned on officers.
"They were hollering at the police and spitting on the cars."
Pittman says that's not what he wanted, and he hopes a lesson is learned by all.
"This was not an act of defiance by any means. My parents raised me to know that if a cop tells you to do something, you do it, but I believe they told me it was OK. I would have never have kept playing if they told me not to."
Pittman says he was not under the influence of any alcohol or drugs and police confirm he cooperated once he was taken to headquarters. He was not transported to jail. Instead, Sembach says, he qualified to be issued a notice to appear in court at a later date based on his good record.
Pittman has hired an attorney, but Sembach says his department will not drop the charge. The state attorney's office confirms they are reviewing the case.
The Neptune Beach Police Department released this statement about the incident on their Facebook page Friday:
It is of no surprise that the story of Lane Pittman has gone viral within Social Media, local news and even now national news. We totally understand, but do not agree with, the rush to judgment reaction from all corners. This case was never about someone playing the “Star Spangled Banner” - what freedom loving American would object to that? This case was about the police having the responsibility to keep roadways and sidewalks traversable and as safe as possible. From our perspective, Mr. Pittman was the catalyst of the large group of people who had gathered in the roadway and sidewalks. This prohibited or severely delayed the response of emergency personnel. If we let the guitar playing continue and something terrible happened, we would be criticized for that as well. The way it was handled, no one was hurt and no property was destroyed.
Critics say that the police caused the problem by being there and intervening. This implies that we should have simply allowed the crowd to remain and swell to even greater numbers. From a public safety standpoint, I cannot let this happen. Anytime impromptu crowds gather blocking roadways and sidewalks, the masses end up in the yard of residents who don’t want them there. Add to this dynamic, alcoholic beverages, which lower inhibitions and bad or tragic things happen. Within this dynamic, taxpayer’s property gets destroyed and valuables get stolen with little chance of catching the perpetrator. From my experience, this is a powder keg. The crowd was not terribly unruly, but that can change in a fraction of a second. I have limited resources and manpower to manage and control an intoxicated crowd of people. Many, if not most, of the folks in the roadway were not Neptune Beach residents.
We do our best to handle situations in the least intrusive and safe manner. Mr. Pittman was the spark of the entire crowd gathering. We warned him initially to stop playing completely (the song was not the Star Spangled Banner) while in the roadway. He moved to the sidewalk and continued playing his amplified guitar despite our warning. Mr. Pittman was not physically arrested. He was given a Notice to Appear citation and sent on his way. We understand that there may have been some confusion or misinterpretation of direction from the officers that day which is unfortunate. This still does not erase the fact that his intentional actions (playing ANY song) after being warned caused public safety issues. There is no set time to start dealing with crowd control problems, but it is in the public’s best interest to mitigate them as soon as possible. This in no way shape or form had anything to do with the actual song that Mr. Pittman was playing.
I would like to personally thank Lane Pittman for being one of the few people who did not call, email, text, or Facebook the NBPD with hate filled diatribe toward the Neptune Beach Police Department – The calls for us to “Die” were particularly interesting.
In closing, we understand that Mr. Pittman is what many people describe as a “Great Dude”. We don’t dispute that. Moving forward we wish Mr. Pittman the best of luck with his entertainment career. If you are interested in his aspirations follow him on Instagram @thebigguy904 or FaceBook @Lane Pittman for Jaxson DeVille.
Sincerely,
David Sembach, Chief of Police
WJAX
