A Tavares man was arrested after a political argument got out of hand and he reportedly hit and shoved another man to the ground at a city park.
Police responded Monday afternoon to Summerall Park, located at 1001 Wells Ave., where the victim told the officer he had been struck and pushed to the ground by 50-year-old Edward Scott. The victim said he and Scott had gotten into a verbal altercation over the paying of taxes and political matters, according to an arrest report from the Tavares Police Department.
The victim said as the argument intensified, Scott struck him in the face and pushed him to the ground. The victim got up, went to his truck, and retrieved his walking cane to defend himself, but Scott did not come at him again. The victim experienced some back pain afterwards and was evaluated by EMS at the scene, the report said.
The officer then spoke with Scott as he sat on a park bench nearby. Scott confirmed that he got into a verbal altercation with the victim over taxes and his personal status as a protected species. He said the victim got in his face and began pointing at him, so he swatted his hand away. At the end of his statement, Scott claimed it was only after the victim went to his truck and got his cane that he pushed him to the ground, according to the report.
A witness told the officer they had seen Scott be the primary aggressor in the incident, the report said. As a result, Scott was arrested and charged with battery and trespassing. He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $500.
