A 51-year-old Fort Lauderdale man was arrested after allegedly confronting an off-duty police officer inside a Broward County hospital and challenging him to a fight, according to an arrest report.
Ronald Jeffery Johnson was reportedly involved in the Aug. 29 incident at Broward Health Medical Center.
According to the report, Johnson was in the emergency department when police were notified about an alleged disturbance involving medical staff, as reported by The Blaze.
The officer, who was reportedly off duty but wearing a full uniform, said he observed Johnson yelling at medical personnel near the registration area.
“I observed the defendant yelling at medical staff from the opposite side of the registration desk, causing a breach of peace in the waiting room and creating fear in the surrounding patients,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.
After Johnson allegedly noticed the officer, the situation reportedly escalated.
“I want to fight you,” Johnson reportedly yelled before moving toward the officer.
The arrest report states that the two became involved in a physical confrontation after Johnson allegedly grabbed the officer and resisted efforts to control him.
“A physical altercation between me and the defendant ensued, where he initially grabbed me in an attempt to fight me and resisted me from controlling him,” the arrest report stated.
WPLG-TV reported that police said Johnson grabbed the officer and resisted attempts to restrain him.
The officer later described his response to the alleged confrontation in the report.
“I physically subdued his intentional, aggressive, and violent behavior towards me, and he was taken into custody.”
This is what happens when you pick a fight with a Florida cop that’s a bit better than you at fisticuffs…
Ronald Jeffery is 5’8″ 240lbs and was yelling at innocent medical staff at Broward Co Medical Center, then turned his aggression on an officer.
Before & after results pic.twitter.com/ZjFwzyXcVm
— Illuminati112358 (@DaVinci132134) September 7, 2026
The officer reportedly sustained an injury to his left hand during the confrontation that required multiple stitches.
Johnson received medical treatment at the hospital before being arrested and transported to the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail.
According to Broward County jail records, Johnson faces charges of aggravated battery on an officer, resisting an officer with violence, assault on an officer, and disorderly conduct.
Records indicated that he was being held on an $8,500 bond.
Johnson’s arrest also drew attention online after his booking photograph was released by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident was not the first time Johnson had reportedly faced criminal allegations in another state.
WPLG reported that Johnson was wanted in Georgia in connection with a terroristic threats case.
According to the report, he was arrested in 2023 after allegedly threatening to attack an individual with a boat paddle at a park in Cave Spring, Georgia.
That alleged incident reportedly occurred in front of the victim’s 8-year-old child and resulted in an additional cruelty to children charge.
The latest allegations stem from the Aug. 29 incident at Broward Health Medical Center. The charges against Johnson are allegations, and the filing of criminal charges does not establish guilt.
