Holmes Beach police arrested Bradenton resident Reid King, 19, June 2 on a third-degree felony for possession of a forged identification card.
King also was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for obstructing a law enforcement officer without violence.
An officer saw a group of people on the beach near 30th Street around 2:25 a.m. with alcohol containers.
As the officer approached, one person ran and ignored commands to stop or be “tased.”
Then the officer deployed his Taser but missed and the man got away.
The officer searched with backup from the Bradenton Beach Police Department and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, but could not find the subject.
The officer then returned to the group on the beach, where a man identified the subject as his son, Reid King, and called King to ask him to turn himself in.
King returned to the scene, where the officer arrested him and conducted a search, finding a Georgia driver’s license bearing King’s name and photo.
The officer ran the license number through dispatch and determined it belonged to someone else.
Reid, who was “noticeably under the influence of alcohol,” allegedly told police he purchased the fake ID from a friend.
The officer confiscated the ID.
The officer then arrested King and transported him to the Manatee County jail, where he was released June 2 after posting $2,000 bond.
If convicted, punishment for a third-degree felony includes up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a fine of up to $5,000.
Punishment for a first-degree misdemeanor includes up to one year in jail, one year of probation and a fine of up to $1,000.
An arraignment will be at 9 a.m. Friday, July 14, at the Manatee County Judicial Center in Bradenton.
Is it legal in Florida to fire a deadly weapon (taser) at an unarmed teenager who is running away? I assure you that officer would be fired and prosecuted in Georgia.