The protester who was arrested in mock prison garb after darting in front of Donald Trump‘s motorcade in Miami has spoken out, claiming that he only ran into the street to escape from a mob of Trump’s supporters.
Dominic Santana, 61, was tackled by Secret Service agents and arrested on misdemeanor charges for running in front of the motorcade on Tuesday, as Trump departed federal court after pleading not guilty to 37 felony counts.
Santana, who retired to Miami after buying and resurrecting the famed Stony Pony music club in New Jersey, told DailyMail.com that it was the first Trump protest he had ever attended.
In a phone interview just hours after his release from an overnight stay in Miami jail, Santana told DailyMail.com that he had no regrets, and only ran into the road to escape from Trump supporters who were physically assaulting him.
‘The mob was after me, hitting me with sticks, spitting on me, I was being harassed. And I had to go across the street for safety, because there were no barricades,’ he claimed.
‘It so happened to be that a motorcade was coming through, and I happened to stand right in front of it,’ the activist said.
Protester Domenic Santana is seen in a mugshot after his arrest on Tuesday. He told DailyMail.com in an interview he ran into the road to escape from Trump supporters
Santana said he had no regrets, and only ran into the road to escape from Trump supporters who were physically assaulting him – though video shows him stopping to hold up his sign
Video of the incident shows Santana stopping directly in front of one of the SUVs in the motorcade and hoisting aloft a sign reading ‘Lock him up.’
Santana came to the US as a child from Cuba, and retired in Miami about 10 years ago, after decades operating a Cuban restaurant in Jersey City.
In 2000, he also purchased and reopened the Stone Pony music club in Asbury Park, New Jersey, revitalizing the venue famous for launching the music careers of Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
Santana told DailyMail.com that he no longer had ownership interest or involvement with the Stone Pony and is instead enjoying retirement in Miami.
He had strong words regarding Trump, calling the former president’s supporters ‘a cult’ and claiming Trump has ‘blood on his hands’ for the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
‘What we have seen since the clown took office, the things that have happened, we can no longer be blind to it, like the cult following that he has behind him,’ said Santana.
‘Remember, ‘lock her up’?’ he added, referring to Trump’s 2016 slogan regarding his opponent Hillary Clinton. ‘Now it’s his turn, to lock him up.’
Trump has been charged in a sweeping federal indictment that accuses the former president of hoarding classified national defense documents at Mar-a-Lago and refusing government demands to give them back.
Dominic Santana of Miami is pushed out of the way as he tries to block former President Donald Trump’s motorcade as it departs the federal courthouse in Miami
Dominic Santana, 61, was tackled by Secret Service agents and arrested on misdemeanor charges for running in front of Trump’s motorcade on Tuesday
The former president turned 77 on Wednesday, and Santana concluded the interview with tongue-in-cheek greetings to the former president.
‘I want to wish Donald Trump a happy birthday. Because this is one of the few, hopefully, that he’s free,’ said Santana. ‘And I’ll see him in jail — just hopefully not in the same cell!’
Santana arrested at Tuesday’s protest on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting an officer without violence and obstructing traffic.
In a jail mugshot, he is seen still wearing the cartoonish prison outfit which he donned for the protest, complete with handcuffs and a plastic ball and chain.
‘A fellow New Yorker can spot a rat a mile away,’ he told the AP in an interview prior to his arrest on Tuesday. ‘Frankly, he should’ve been locked up ages ago.’
Video posted online showed the motorcade traveling down a Miami street, where supporters and protesters were lined up on both sides.
Santana was immediately grabbed by agents traveling with the motorcade, who pushed him back to the sidewalk.
He was dressed in a black and white prison uniform and had been pictured earlier in the day standing with his sign waiting for the former president.
Santana arrested at Tuesday’s protest on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting an officer without violence and obstructing traffic
Agents are seen in an aerial picture pushing Santana out of the way
Police apparently tackled Santana to the ground, where he sat handcuffed
A second video showed Santana on the ground as spectators gathered around him with their phones out.
Miami police officers could be seen pushing the crowd back as others led the protester away in handcuffs.
‘The individual was removed swiftly from the roadway by officers from the Miami City Police Department,’ Special Agent Steve Kopek said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
‘His actions had no impact on the security of the protective movement, and we thank Miami City Police for their continued partnership.’
Santana was also seen getting into an argument with a Trump supporter before his arrest, calling him the ‘biggest con in American history.’
His stunt was one of the highest-profile incidents on Tuesday for crowds that gathered at the Miami courthouse for his arraignment on federal charges in a case involving the handling of classified documents.
Protestors and supporters of the former president gathered at the courthouse hours before the 3 pm arraignment.
He was seen standing outside the court throughout the hearing Tuesday afternoon, as people gathered both in support and protest of the former president
Santana was pictured earlier Tuesday as Trump arrived in federal court for his arraignment
Officers told crowds of people who gathered following the spectacle to back up as they brought Santana into custody
In the morning, cops had to shut off a block outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse for a report of a ‘suspicious package’ on the scene before Trump arrived.
A bomb squad was called in and officers pushed the crowd back to inspect the mystery object before the all-clear was given.
City officials had said they were prepared for a crowd of 5,000 to 50,000 people in the downtown area that houses the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse.
A combination of local, state and federal law enforcement were on hand with trucks of police in riot gear arriving on the scene Tuesday morning. Barriers and police tape were also put up to control the crowds and helicopters flew overhead.
The former president was also protected by his Secret Service detail.
Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 37 federal counts against him for his mishandling of classified documents.
