‘You’re under arrest!’: Teen says he was choked by man he thought was cop

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A St. Johns County family is speaking only to Action News Jax, after they say a man choked their 16-year-old son and threatened him with arrest, leading the teen to believe the man was law enforcement.

The incident happened about two weeks ago, around 10 p.m., when Juan J. Cervantes said he and his friends were riding bikes in a neighborhood and had briefly talked about ringing a doorbell as a prank. The teen said they changed their minds and left.

“We were just bored. It was night. We were just going to do a random house. We got scared and left. We didn’t think anything of it,” said Juan J. Cervantes.

Moments later, surveillance video shows a white pickup truck screech to a stop in front of Cervantes, and a man ran toward him.

The high schooler said his 2 friends, on bikes, pedaled away before the incident happened with the man, who has not been publicly identified.

“He told me I was under arrest, so I thought it was law enforcement or something. I didn’t resist and I tried cooperating with him. He started to choke me when I had my guard fully down and I went unconscious. I regained consciousness, and I was still restrained,” Cervantes said.

Medical records from a follow-up exam describe the incident as a physical assault and document a concussion, reinforcing the family’s account.

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office confirmed there is an active investigation, but said the incident report cannot be released while the case remains under investigation.

Juan M. Cervantes, the teen’s father, said the family wants more done.

“We didn’t feel support from our local law enforcement,” said Juan M. Cervantes. “I would like an arrest made.”

Action News Jax knocked on the door of the man believed to be involved, but no one answered. A neighbor described the man as a “hot head” and said off-camera that he believes the teen’s account.

“A man doesn’t do this to a child. They don’t use the pretext of being law enforcement to take advantage. That’s wrong,” Juan M. Cervantes said about his son’s incident.

The teen’s father said the sheriff’s office told him the man involved is not law enforcement.