ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- It was the movement that changed the course of the country. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched with hundreds of students through downtown St. Augustine.
"It was very chaotic. There was a lot of confusion and hostility on both sides. It just got to the point where it was almost a mob," said Everett Haney.
Haney wore a police uniform back then. And he said there was only one way to calm the crowds. "We had to arrest Dr. King for unlawful assembly. It gave us a chance to get a hold of the crowd and get it assembled and separated," he said.
He handcuffed, booked and fingerprinted the civil rights leader. And led him to his cell. "He was very much a gentleman. He was very cooperative and helpful," said Haney.
Haney arrested Dr. King on June 11, 1964. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act less than a month later.
"It's changed so much since then," said Haney. "I just hope that it never happens again, and it can be settled for good."
Monday night ,Haney joined the country to remember the legacy of a man he arrested almost 49 years ago.
After spending the night in St. Augustine, Dr. King was transported to the Duval County jail for his safety.
