George Zimmerman, who sparked a nationwide debate about race and self-defense and who was acquitted in July of all charges in the shooting of the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, was arrested in Seminole County, Florida, at about 1:30 p.m. on Monday. He was then charged with assault after an argument at his girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe’s Apopka home, according to the Associated Press.
Zimmerman, 30, who was arrested after the domestic disturbance with his girlfriend now faces a felony charge of aggravated assault and the lesser charges of battery domestic violence and criminal mischief reports abcnews. According to CNN.com, Zimmerman told police the argument manifested after he tried to leave because Scheibe was pregnant and wanted to raise their child alone, even though the police say that Scheibe disputed the account.
At a news conference hours after making the arrest, Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma said, The girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, allowed deputies a key to her home and this is how they were able to push the door that had been barricaded. Lemma told reporters, “At this time, the victim has disclosed to us that she is not pregnant.”
George Zimmerman has had other brushes with the law since his acquittal. Zimmerman’s former fiancee filed for a restraining order against him, alleging domestic violence. He has also been pulled over for three traffic stops since his acquittal and ticked for speeding according to Huffington Post.
Zimmerman, who wasn’t charged until 44 days after the shooting in the Trayvon Martin case, identifies himself as Hispanic. He has said he shot the 17-year-old to defend himself during a fight in February 2012 inside a gated community in Sanford, just outside Orlando. This case immediately sparked accusations leading to protests nationwide from people who believed he should have been arrested. That George Zimmerman had racially profiled Martin, and demonstrations broke out again after his acquittal. The federal authorities are currently reviewing the case to see if Trayvon Martin’s civil rights were violated.