Florida Man Spits On Officer During Arrest, Says ‘I Hope You Catch Corona’

A Florida man, who was being arrested for domestic violence, coughed and spat on an officer after threatening him, saying he was infected with the coronavirus.

The accused, identified as 46-year-old Brent Smith, was being arrested for threatening his mother with a butter knife at their home at Volusia County Saturday (April 11) evening when he coughed on the deputy who was cuffing him and threatened to bash his head with a hammer.

The police department in a statement said Smith “coughed, blew and spit at the arresting deputy and promised to bash his head with a hammer.”

The incident was caught on the officer’s bodycam in which Smith was seen screaming from the back of the patrol car saying, “I hope you die, I hope you catch corona, I hope the coronavirus, I hope it latches on to you.”

The deputy, who was initially wearing only gloves, immediately put on his mask before driving off with the suspect.

“If any of my deputies get sick after this, I’m going to hold this scumbag personally responsible,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood tweeted. “Can’t say I’m surprised a grown man with such little respect for his mother would also show this much hatred for law enforcement. Maybe they will teach him to cover his mouth in jail,” he wrote.

According to the police, Smith was drunk when the incident took place. He faces multiple charges including grand theft between $750 and $5,000, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a law enforcement officer, tampering with a witness, aggravated battery on a person 65 or older, corruption by threat against a public official, robbery by sudden snatching with a firearm or weapon and a probation violation for a previous charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman.

Smith is currently held at the Volusia County Jail. No bond has been set.