According to the police report submitted by one of the campus police officers who made the arrest, Pablo De Jesus, another student, was asking the final question during a question-and-answer session following Kerry's speech when Meyer interrupted. "He stated in a loud, disorderly manner that he was 'sick of listening to Kerry's crap for the past two hours,' " the report stated.
Meyer aggressively asked questions about the 2004 election and Kerry's association with Yale's Skull and Bones secret society.
Though Kerry protested and attempted to answer Meyer's questions, university police began to take Meyer out of the auditorium.
"In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way," Kerry wrote in a statement. Kerry also said that he was unaware any tasing took place.
A police report filed by UF campus police officer Nicole Lynn Mallo, who was also involved in the arrest, suggested that Meyer only pretended to defy officers in front of the cameras.
"As the man was escorted down stairs with no cameras in sight, he remained quiet, but once the cameras made their way downstairs he started screaming and yelling again," Mallo reported.
Media coverage and students have speculated about whether Meyer's actions were a ploy for publicity.
Mallo also reported that Meyer was laughing and being lighthearted in the car - his demeanor completely changed once the cameras were not in sight. She said he asked if the cameras would be at the jail and expressed understanding for his arrest.
"Meyer stated, on the way to the jail, 'I am not mad at you guys, you didn't do anything wrong, you were just trying to do your job,' " she reported.
Meyer's questions, tasering and arrest were all caught on camera, and the video has since become "viral video," distributed on YouTube and ultimately making its way to news outlets around the country. VH1's "Best Week Ever" show parodied the event, making fun of his request that the police not use tasers: "Don't tase me bro!"
According to the VH1 Web site, the phrase that Meyer yelled at university police will soon appear on T-shirts sold by a classmate of Meyer's, who has also made a "Don't Tase Me Remix" video.
Other than media attention, the incident has sparked a following on Web sites like Facebook, where there are currently 120 groups related to the incident. Groups such as, "Supporters of Andrew Meyer and Freedom of Speech," and "Andrew Meyer should have known better" both defend and attack Meyer's actions.
Meyer was ultimately charged with disturbing the peace and resisting arrest with violence. He spent one night in jail and was released the next day, Sept. 18. According to the Independent Florida Alligator, a student-run newspaper at UF, Meyer accepted the criminal charges at his arraignment and was allowed to leave on the condition that he would return for a criminal trial that has yet to be scheduled.
Many of the students were outraged at how university police handled the situation.
Benjamin Dictor, a junior at UF and one of protest organizers, said protestors first made their way to the campus police offices to collect complaint forms.
"I served as a communicator between the protestors and the officials," Dictor told The Herald. "We intended for everyone to fill out complaint forms at the (campus police office), but then we heard about the press conference being held and we marched to Alumni Hall. We demanded representation."
Dictor said the students, who were not invited to the press conference, barged into the building and began a sit-in. Officers at the event finally allowed one student to attend the press conference on the second floor of the building.
"It became evident that we are living in a society where we have more laws restricting freedom of speech and association. A lot of the students I sat down and spoke to at the protest had never done anything active like this or had ever been politically active, and I think it says a lot that students won't take any more," Dictor said.
But Quevedo disagreed. "This was not an issue of police brutality," she said. "The police were looking out for other people's safety and (Meyer) was getting out of hand."
UF President Bernard Machen has said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conduct an independent investigation of the incident and that, following its findings, a student and faculty panel would review all university policies and protocol concerning "student dialogue and faculty interaction."
"We're going to announce the members of the panel within the next day or so, which will include four members of the faculty and four students," Orlando said.
Machen has also expressed his embarrassment over the episode. "The incident that occurred yesterday is regretful for us because civil discourse and dialogue did not occur," he said in last week's press conference.
