JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE 6:16 a.m.- Williamson made bond Saturday night and has been released. The next court date is still pending.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The man caught on security video punching a woman repeatedly in the face at a local gas station has been arrested by police. 59-year-old Kevin Williamson is in custody and faces a battery charge, police said a warrant was issued through the State Attorney’s Office and he was put into jail Friday night.
In the police report obtained by Action News Jax, it says he made racist remarks outside the store towards someone else; when Action News Jax spoke with the victim, Rayme McCoy on Thursday, she said those comments continued inside the gas station and ended up being directed at her.
“As I was turning back around, he swung and hit me in the side of my head first and that first hit in the video my mouth immediately dropped, I was shocked,” she said.
McCoy said he was buying beer and placed it on the counter in front of her. She said she tried to move it and asked him to back up, she also said he told her he had a gun in his car.
“He was still ranting and raving about what he was talking about and at that point, I turned around and said ‘Can I have some space?” she said.
The consecutive punches hit each side of her face and left her badly hurt.
“I have a blood clot in my left eye, my left eye is black, I have knots on the left side of my head and on my temple and on my forehead,” she said. “I have one knot on the right side of my forehead, I have a cut up under my nose.”
Ben Frazier with the Northside Coalition is now speaking on behalf of the McCoy family while she seeks legal counsel, he says this was an outrageous act.
“We are relieved to know this man was finally arrested for the sake of public safety we think it’s imperative he be kept behind bars as long as possible,” he said.
It happened at the BP Gas Station in Arlington on University Blvd N and Fort Caroline Road on Monday and on Friday, JSO says a warrant was issued and he was put into jail. Frazier believes the sheriff’s office procrastinated in the arrest.
RELATED: ‘I was shocked’: Video shows man attacking woman at Jacksonville gas station
When Action News Jax asked JSO on Thursday if a warrant was issued, they told us no because the officer was on his off days and would return to the case when he got back. Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson, who is a criminal defense attorney and has years of experience in the FBI and police said given the circumstances, the arrest took too long.
If the holdup is the officer being off, then they need to make arrangements administratively for that officer to be able to provide information on a more timely basis,” he said.
Action News Jax looked into Williamson’s record, he has faced a charge of aggravated assault before and is a registered sex offender. Though in jail, Action News Jax knocked on his last known address for a comment, but nobody was home.
Frazier said this was racially motivated and they want to see it get prosecuted as a hate crime.
“We think city representatives should clarify these kinds of attitudes and acts will not be tolerated right here in Jacksonville, Florida,” he said.
Regarding the hate crime allegation, Carson said there would need to be more to prove that.
Williamson is currently being held on a $20,000 bond.
#JSO responded to a battery incident Monday at a local business. When the officer arrived on scene, he was advised by multiple people that the victim was attacked by another patron of the business. The suspect was identified and arrested yesterday evening. pic.twitter.com/mMHr3vqdeS
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) May 21, 2022
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