George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murdering unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin, was arrested again Friday for allegedly throwing a wine bottle at his girlfriend.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said the 31-year-old was arrested for aggravated assault in Lake Mary around 10 p.m., the AP reported.
A judge set Zimmerman’s bail at $5,000 on Saturday morning. He was told to stay out of Volusia County where his girlfriend lives and was ordered to surrender any weapons even though the incident did not involve any firearms.
In a statement Saturday, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence President Dan Gross applauded the Florida judge who ordered Zimmerman to surrender his firearms.
“George Zimmerman is a poster boy for our campaign to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, including domestic abusers. Zimmerman had a gun the night he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, and the State of Florida allowed him to carry it anywhere despite an arrest record and a violent history. He would have been denied a permit in any state where law enforcement has reasonable discretion.”
Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 and found not guilty of a second-degree murder charge for fatally shooting Martin. The case ignited a national debate over racial profiling and self-defense.
Since then, Zimmerman has been arrested on aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief charges after pointing a gun in a girlfriend’s face, a case prosecutors decided not to pursue after girlfriend failed to cooperate with policy.
He was also accused of smashing his estranged wife’s iPad in a dispute days after she filed for divorce. Shellie Zimmerman originally told police he had a gun but later said he was unarmed. There was not enough evidence to charge Zimmerman.
This post was updated at 7:14 p.m.