PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Deputies arrested a man Thursday after they say he was disruptive during an aggravated assault investigation on his street, reportedly mocking victims and deputies while videotaping them.
29-year-old Ian McGuire is facing several charges after deputies served a search warrant at his home on Westlund Terrace in Port Charlotte.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, the charges stem from an incident on April 11, 2019.
Deputies say they were investigating an aggravated assault and battery in the street near McGuire's home and say that McGuire approached the scene and began recording video. After being instructed to step back from the scene several times, McGuire became argumentative with deputies before turning to nearby witnesses and and mocking them.
McGuire then walked toward an area where several witnesses were providing statements to a deputy. The witnesses requested McGuire not film them, but McGuire then began loudly narrating what the witnesses were providing the deputy and mocking them for calling the police.
After viewing video of the incident, deputies charged McGuire with three counts of Harassing a Witness, Victim, or Informant (Third Degree Felony), two counts of Resisting/Obstructing Officer W/Out Violence (First Degree Misdemeanor), and Breach of Peace (Second Degree Misdemeanor)
McGuire is known in Charlotte County for his aggressive videos and his support of the First Amendment.
In 2017, he garnered attention by showing support for the killer of two law enforcement officers in Orlando.
**UPDATE (11:15AM) ** -- Additional charges are pending on McGuire after investigators removed firearms and ammunition from his home Thursday. The FBI was also at the scene investigating.
CCSO is now removing firearms and ammo found in Ian McGuire's home. Due to a current protection order stemming from an incident that occurred in the City of Punta Gorda, he is prohibited from possessing them. Additional charges will be pending. pic.twitter.com/Lunnu1mEoJ
— Charlotte County Sheriff's Office (@CCSOFLSheriff) June 27, 2019
