Viral Footage Sparks Probe After Deputies Arrest Blind Man For Not Identifying Himself [Video]

Two Florida deputies are under fire after a video of them arresting a legally blind man for not identifying himself has gone viral on social media.

The incident caught on bodycam shows the two unidentified deputies from Columbia County Sheriff's Office handcuffing a 61-year-old man identified as James Hodges after stopping him on suspicion of carrying a firearm on Oct. 31, Law & Crime reported.

The video appears to show a female deputy stopping Hodges after mistaking a folded cane in his back pocket for a firearm. When she questions him, Hodges says it is navigational aid.

"What's the problem? You're a tyrant?" Hodges asks while the deputy responds, "Yeah, I am, actually."

The deputy then demands Hodges give his name and date of birth. However, Hodges refuses to share the information saying he does not need to provide them with any details.

"Do you want me to put you in handcuffs right now?" the deputy asks, adding that she suspects him of carrying a firearm. Hodges then takes out the folded cane and shows it to her.

However, when the deputy again demands his ID, Hodges says he wants to talk to her supervisor. The supervisor, a male deputy at the scene then explains to Hodges that his partner mistook the cane for a firearm.

"But now she's verified that I am not armed," Hodges says still refusing to provide his ID.

The video shows the two deputies then handcuffing the man and taking the driver's license out of his pocket.

After placing him in handcuffs, the second deputy asks Hodges if he is legally blind. "Yes, I am...I had to walk up here in the dark, for jury duty, which was canceled," Hodges responds.

The video continues to show the deputies walking him into the police vehicle while Hodges asks for their name and badge number. "You know what put him in jail for resisting," the male deputy then responds.

According to court records, Hodges was detained on charges of resisting an officer and released the next day.

Meanwhile, Columbia County Sheriff's Office said they are aware of the incident and that the case is under investigation.

"Sheriff Hunter is troubled by what he has seen in the video and the matter is being addressed. An administrative investigation was initiated on November 3, 2022, when the incident was brought to our attention. If policy violations are sustained at the conclusion of that investigation, appropriate action will be taken," Sheriff Mark Hunter said in a statement.