The footage of Zachary Cruz, the younger brother of Parkland, Florida school gunman Nikolas Cruz, has been made public, showing the 18-year-old being handcuffed outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Monday.
TMZ obtained the footage, which shows Cruz wearing a white shirt, baseball cap and a backpack. Cruz told the officers he went to the school, a month after his brother shot and killed 17 people there, to “take it all in.” Police then searched his backpack to look for weapons.
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Police appeared to be aware that Cruz is Nikolas’ brother. They might have been willing to let him go, but other officers arrived. They said he had been on school property before and was warned to leave the campus. The officers decided to arrest Cruz at that point.
Cruz was in court on Tuesday, and was charged with trespassing on school grounds. His bond was set at $500,000. According to WPBF, prosecutor Sarahnell Murphy said many of the same “red flags” related to his older brother can also apply to Cruz. His parents are both deceased and he is living with a temporary guardian in Lake Worth, Florida.
Murphy also said Cruz told his older brother that he would be “popular” now, since his name is known everywhere. According to Murphy, Cruz also told his brother that girls would consider him “hot” and talked about starting a fan club.
Cruz also gave police a fake Parkland arrest and admitted to being told to stay away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School three times before, according to the prosecutor.
“We’re asking that you use all the tools in your arsenal to protect the school and the community from Zachary Cruz,” Murphy told the judge.
Cruz’s attorneys argued that the bond was unusually high for the kind of misdemeanor Cruz was charged with.
“He is being penalized not for skateboarding at the school, but because of who he is related to,” attorney Joseph Kimok said. “The state is seeking to make a show of this.”
On Wednesday, Broward County Judge Jack Tuter agreed to put a temporary risk protection order against Cruz, reports CNN. It would keep him from having or buying firearms or ammunition, and is allowed under a new Florida law passed in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
On Feb. 14, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the Parkland high school, killing 14 students and three teachers. He was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Photo credit: Broward County Sheriff
