Man arrested for violating stay-at-home order with ‘complete disregard for public safety’ police say

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Police arrested the man they say knowingly violated and encouraged people to defy Ohio’s Stay-At-Home order in a video that is now going viral.

Cincinnati Police and Gov. Mike DeWine responded to the video that has been surfacing on Facebook and YouTube.

Police say the video depicts a large gathering of people in the area near Walnut Hills and East Liberty streets Friday night.

*Warning: video contains graphic language*

“We are making every effort to investigate this gathering, as well as the person who created the video that blatantly disregards the Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said police.

Police said they did respond to the gathering and are exploring options for addressing it and future similar incidents, which include fines and arrests if necessary.

Rashaan Davis knowingly violated the state-wide Stay-at-Home order on Friday and “incited” people to defy the order, court documents state.

These documents claim Davis can be heard talking in a 10 minute long YouTube video which shows himself and other people violating the order.

“Very dangerous. Vast majority of Ohioans doing a great job on distancing. Thanks to Mayor Cranley, PD’s, sheriff and health Dept for their great work,” said Gov. DeWine.

Police emphasize the importance of social distancing to stop the spread of the virus.

They are asking the public to condemn the actions of those who participated in the incident Friday night and those who are disregarding the stay-at-home order to contact them.

According to the court documents, police are asking for a high or no bond for Davis until he can appear in front of a judge because of his “complete disregard for public safety.”

Copyright 2020 WXIX. All rights reserved.