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SJSO: Man tells St. Augustine mayor 'kill yourself' in classroom at St. Johns River College

Cyrus Bowie, 41, of St. Augustine was arrested after allegedly causing a disruption during a public symposium involving St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver, according to a St. Johns County Sheriff's Office arrest report.

The incident happened Thursday afternoon at St. Johns River State College.

When deputies arrived, they found Bowie pinned to the ground by the college's security personnel.

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Many witnesses told deputies the man said "Kill yourself" and "Why don't you kill yourself?" repeatedly to Mayor Shaver.

He was told to leave multiple times by security guards and when they attempted to escort him, Bowie began to actively resist by pulling and pushing away, deputies said.

The arrest report stated he then "tensed his body and had to be dragged out of the classroom to prevent further disruption."

A note of a speech Bowie planned to give at the event said in its opening section, "Why haven't you killed yourself?"

He is being charged with two counts of battery and one count of disorderly conduct.

A photo of Bowie being arrested on a disorderly conduct charge during St. Augustine's 450th anniversary celebration was published in 2015 by the Jacksonville Times-Union. He was released the same day.