As of July 17, 2026, bodycam footage was released, showing the arrest of UCF student Jarrett Preston Vick at downtown campus-affiliated housing, UnionWest. The arrest happened back on February 5, 2025.
Officers originally entered the building to investigate an alleged car theft, but left with an arrest unrelated to their initial intentions.
Officer Michael Rivera filed a police report stating he responded to a verbal disturbance at UnionWest during his patrol of the Downtown Campus. The footage, however, explicitly states that another UCFPD member, Officer Dan Riley, had originally been on campus in response to alleged vehicle theft prior to this confrontation.
The footage shows Officer Riley approaching Vick, who was 26 at the time, near the elevators in the UnionWest lobby. Vick began shouting at Officer Riley as he approached, clearly distressed, about supposed trespassers in the building.
When Officer Riley warned Vick that they would be detained and taken to a Baker Act facility if they did not lower their voice, Vick challenged him with a biting remark, further escalating the situation.
It’s unclear from the footage how this confrontation came about prior to filming, but police records indicate through eyewitness statements that Vick was already acting verbally belligerent towards a group of juveniles before officers arrived on the scene.
In the footage, Officer Riley called for backup to handle Vick separately from the alleged car theft he was already navigating. When Officer Riley used “he/him” pronouns in his call, Vick immediately lashed out and corrected the officer by screaming their preferred pronouns at him.
Officer Riley held out pepper spray, commanding Vick to “get down on the ground” immediately. Vick, on the other hand, began running toward the mail room in an attempt to get away from the officer, screaming expletives and demands to be left alone.
Vick pleaded with a nearby bystander to get the officer to use the correct pronouns. The bystander attempted to calm Vick down but was unsuccessful.
At this point, Officer Rivera arrived at the scene to assist Officer Riley in arresting Vick, who proceeded to physically fight the officers through various strikes, even going so far as to attempt to rip off radio equipment from Officer Rivera’s vest.
Both the report and the footage illustrate Vick resisting the officers’ attempts at arrest by grabbing onto the front desk counter and trying to fight their physical restraint. Officer Riley stunned Vick for five seconds with a taser to gain compliance, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Finally, the police managed to get Vick to the ground in handcuffs, with Vick still verbally resisting, pleading for help from bystanders while the officers escorted them out to the police car.
The report further stated that Orlando Fire Rescue was called to conduct a medical assessment, and Vick was cleared and transported to Orange County jail without incident. A CIT interview was conducted at the jail, where Vick stated they did not have any desire to hurt themself or others.
Following this event, Vick was issued three charges of battery on a law enforcement officer in the third degree, resisting an officer without violence in the first degree, and disorderly conduct in the second degree.
Vick pleaded not guilty to all three charges on March 27, 2025. The case is officially closed with no sufficient information on the results.
The footage is just over ten minutes long on YouTube and has sparked massive controversy online, with debates circulating about how the officers handled the confrontation, the issue of mental health, and expectations of universities today regarding similar crises.
Knight News is in contact with UCFPD and is awaiting further details on the matter.
