Ray Rodriguez
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and St. Petersburg Police Department
For the second time in a month, police have arrested Gulfport resident Ray Rodriguez. On Aug. 14, St. Petersburg police arrested Rodriguez for allegedly resisting an officer.
The St. Petersburg Police Department wanted to question Rodriguez in relation to an alleged aggravated assault that happened in Gulfport.
According to the arrest report, a SPPD officer contacted Rodriguez, 63, near Clam Bayou Nature Park just before 9 a.m.
SPPD said Gulfport PD notified them of an alleged assault involving Rodriguez.
According to St. Petersburg police, officers contacted Rodriguez near 46th and Miriam Streets South, but Rodriguez fled on foot from them after first starting to record the law enforcement interaction.
“The victim is claiming that the suspect caused the victim to swerve,” Ashley Limardo, a public information specialist with SPPD, told The Gabber. “The victim filed a report to document the incident.”
The victim works for the City of Gulfport.
One officer followed Rodriguez in a patrol car while two others were on foot. The Gulfport man eventually complied with police and got on the ground, according to the SPPD incident report.
Rodriguez is a frequent and vocally strident critic of the Gulfport Police Department, Gulfport government, and the Boca Ciega Yacht Club.
Rodriguez also routinely speaks at Gulfport City Council hearings contending those three groups are corrupt and conspiring against him.
Gulfport police arrested Rodriguez at the Aug. 2 Gulfport City Council meeting after he forcefully opened a door at Gulfport City Hall and damaged an adjacent wall with the door stopper and door handle.
Gulfport officers, including Chief Robert Vincent, pursued Rodriguez after that incident and arrested him after a short pursuit. He faces criminal mischief and a resisting an officer charges related to that incident.
Attorneys representing Rodriguez from the public defender’s office have not yet responded to a request for comment.
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