A late-night fight in downtown St. Augustine ended with an 18-year-old in handcuffs after police say he brawled with another man, tussled with officers, and had a fake license.
Officers with the St. Augustine Police Department said the chaos unfolded around 1:40 a.m. Sunday on the sidewalk near Hypolita Street, a busy nightlife corridor in the city’s historic district.
According to an arrest report, an officer witnessed the teenager actively fighting another man in front of Bourbon Street at 66 Hypolita as a gaggle of gawkers gathered nearby.
Police say the altercation quickly escalated as a third individual — identified in the report as the suspect’s brother — joined the melee.
The officer attempted to separate the group and pull the teen away from the fight.
Instead, he repeatedly pulled away and tried to resume the roundhouses, the report states.
Officers said he was seen striking the other man several times in the head while the fight continued on the sidewalk.
When police moved to detain him, the suspect allegedly tried to flee. Officers chased and struggled with him for roughly 60 feet before managing to bring him to the ground.
During the tussle, police say the teen continued resisting and threw his elbows toward officers, striking one corporal before he was subdued and placed in handcuffs.
A search following the arrest uncovered a New Jersey driver’s license bearing the suspect’s photo but listing an incorrect birth date.
A database check determined the identification number did not correspond to a valid license, leading officers to conclude it was a fake ID.
The teen was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for fighting in public, resisting an officer with violence, and possession of a fraudulent driver’s license.
The fight erupted in the early morning hours when local taverns empty and pedestrians fill the narrow nearby streets.
Last September, police were dispatched to the sidewalk outside Bourbon Street after multiple 911 calls reported a fight involving a couple.
Witnesses told officers they saw a man slam his fiancée to the ground, leaving her briefly unable to get up.
When a bystander attempted to call 911, the suspect allegedly grabbed the person’s phone — an iPhone valued at more than $1,000 — and smashed it on the ground, according to court records.
Weeks prior, a 59-year-old man was arrested in front of the bar after allegedly fighting bouncers and police.
