TAMPA, Fla. — Two men who were arrested Tuesday during demonstrations in support of the Cuban people that attempted to spill onto a major Tampa highway have bonded out of jail.
On Thursday, a judge granted a motion to set bond for Julian Rodriguez-Rodriguez and Maikel Vazquez-Pico, according to jail records.
Rodriguez's bond was set at $17,500. He faces two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting arrest with violence. Vazquez-Pico's bond was set at $4,000 and faces one count of resisting an officer without violence and one count of battery on a law enforcement officer.
After leaving the jail, Vazquez-Pico denied hitting any officer. He says he was trying to get the police to stop pepper-spraying a young man who he said was later hospitalized.
The men's arrests almost became a case study for Florida's new "anti-riot" bill. Jail records originally showed that both men were also charged with assemblies obstructing streets or sidewalks. Under that charge, HB-1 is referenced. For Vazquez-Pico, jail records originally stated his bond would be determined by HB-1 per an order set by the Hillsborough County chief judge.
That order, set in Hillsborough County shortly after the "anti-riot" bill was signed into law in April by Gov. DeSantis, slightly changes the uniform bail bond schedule in the county.
According to the order, the new law means anyone arrested during a "riot" or "unlawful assembly" "must be held in custody until brought before the court."
The "Combating Violence, Disorder, and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act," or HB 1, expands who can be charged as a felon during protests and gives law enforcement broader arresting powers. It also makes it harder for local governing bodies to “defund” the police.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was injured while interacting with Tuesday's crowd, according to the Tampa Police Department. FHP says the trooper had cuts on his arms and face as well as a broken ankle. The trooper was taken to the hospital to be treated, according to FHP.
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