Winter Haven residents express outrage as police detain a mother and child at gunpoint following a firearm altercation.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A tense police confrontation in Winter Haven has sparked community outrage after a video showed a three-year-old girl lying on the ground at gunpoint alongside her mother.
The incident occurred Tuesday following a reported altercation involving a firearm at Santiago’s Market.
Police Chief Vance Monroe acknowledged the troubling optics of the situation, stating, “The optics of this incident are bad. They are terrible.”
Just after 1 p.m., officers reportedly responded to a call at Santiago’s Market regarding a disturbance involving a firearm.
Police say Godfrey Hercules II, 29, was seen in an altercation with a store employee, 46-year-old Jesus Crespo Perez, in the parking lot. Hercules eventually left with his partner, Mariah Banks, and their daughter and headed south on Highway 17.
That’s when a BOLO (be on the lookout) was issued for Hercules, who authorities said was driving a red Nissan Altima with two passengers in the car as well.
Police were able to find the car at an American Legion off of 300 Avenue M NW. Banks, 27, and their daughter were reportedly left the car, and Hercules was found on the side of the building and apprehended.
Banks was “directed to get to the ground,” and she immediately complied. Authorities said her child “mimicked” her actions.
Bodycam footage revealed officers detaining Hercules and Banks at gunpoint.
The video also showed their young daughter lying on the ground, pleading, “Please don’t kill us!”
Banks was then detained, and police said they immediately “calmed and cared” for the child.
Eventually, police say a diamondback 9mm semiautomatic pistol was found in the car.
Chief Monroe explained that officers were unaware of who had the firearm and acted to secure the scene.
“We don’t know who has it. We just have to secure the people that are there,” he said.
The police department said officers responded with “an appropriate level of caution with the understanding there was a weapon involved.”
“As soon as the officer approaching Banks became aware of the presence of the child, he immediately pointed his firearm towards the ground at a low-ready position,” the police department said in a statement.
Authorities added that at no point was the officer’s weapon pointed at the child.
Community activist Victor Sims criticized the department’s handling of the child, saying, “The policies are not great if you’re not securing safety for a young child. There is no excuse there. There is none.”
The police department notified the Department of Children and Families of the details in the incident due to it being a “violent crime committed in the presence of a child.”
Hercules and Banks were both released, along with the child, because police say Perez declined to press charges.
However, a complaint affidavit was filed with the state attorney’s office for Hercules for affray and improper display of a weapon, officials say. A complaint affidavit was filed with the state attorney’s office for Perez for affray.
Chief Monroe defended his officers’ actions but promised to review department policies after speaking with the child’s mother.
The incident has drawn significant backlash from residents, with many planning to attend Monday’s City Commission meeting to demand further accountability and changes in police procedures.