Florida Man Tells Cop "I Want To Fight You" at Hospital and Gets His Wish

A trip to a Florida hospital ended with a trip to jail for 51-year-old Ronald Jeffery Johnson after police say he picked a fight with an officer inside Broward Health Medical Center. Johnson's booking photo afterward showed him with a badly swollen and bloodied face, while court records show he is now facing four charges stemming from the August 29 encounter.

According to an arrest report obtained by The Independent , a Fort Lauderdale Police officer working an off-duty detail in full uniform was called to the hospital's waiting room after Johnson began yelling at medical staff. The officer wrote that Johnson was causing a disturbance and frightening other patients before apparently deciding the uniformed officer should become his next opponent.

Johnson reportedly looked at the officer and announced, "I want to fight you," before charging toward him and grabbing him. A struggle followed as Johnson resisted the officer's attempts to control him, according to the police account of the encounter.

The confrontation did not leave either man unscathed, with the officer suffering a cut to his left hand that required multiple stitches. Johnson suffered facial injuries and was treated at the hospital before being medically cleared and transported to the Broward County Main Jail.

One Challenge to a Cop Ends With Two Trips Through the Hospital

The embedded image above is a mugshot of Ronald Jeffery Johnson taken in 2025.

Johnson's latest mugshot made the aftermath difficult to miss, showing extensive swelling and bruising around his face along with dried blood around his nose and mouth. The Independent also noted that a gloved hand appeared to be holding Johnson upright when the booking photograph was taken. However, the available arrest report does not detail precisely how each of his facial injuries occurred.

There was another problem waiting for Johnson once authorities began looking into him. According to the arrest report reviewed by The Independent, authorities discovered an active Georgia warrant tied to his failure to appear in a terroristic-threats case.

Local reporting provides additional background on that warrant, stating that Johnson was arrested in Georgia in 2023 after being accused of threatening someone with a boat paddle at Cedar Creek Park in Cave Spring. WPLG reports that the incident happened in front of the person's 8-year-old child, leading to charges of terroristic threats and cruelty to children.

As for the Florida incident, Broward County court records identify the case as State of Florida v. Ronald Jeffery Johnson, case number 26010473CF10A, filed August 30 as an active first-degree felony case. The Broward Clerk's public search system identifies CF cases as criminal felony matters handled through the county court system.

Johnson Now Faces Four Charges

Court records list Johnson as facing aggravated battery on an officer as a first-degree felony, resisting an officer with violence as a third-degree felony, assault on an officer, firefighter, or emergency medical technician as a first-degree misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct as a first-degree misdemeanor. A magistrate found probable cause on August 31, and the docket also shows orders requiring medical and mental-health screening and allowing a representative to photograph Johnson's injuries.

The charges line up with the account contained in the Fort Lauderdale Police arrest report, including the accusation that Johnson charged at and grabbed the officer before resisting efforts to restrain him. WPLG reported that Johnson remained in the Broward County Main Jail as of September 2 with bond set at $8,500.

For now, the case remains active, and the Broward court information provided does not list a disposition. That means Johnson has been charged, not convicted, and the officer's description of what happened inside the hospital remains an accusation that will now work its way through the court system.