This time it was Florida State Senator Al Lawson, a Democrat, who snatched a camera from a man who was videotaping him outside his campaign headquarters this past weekend.
Lawson ended up keeping the camera, only to return it three days later at the request of the Tallahassee Police Department.
The camera was damaged beyond repair. Lawson ended up having to buy the man a new camera.
Despite the obvious assault, theft and destruction of property, the State Attorney refused to prosecute the congressman, according to [__Florida Capital News.__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/6230313)
The videographer was Ralph Mason, a campaign worker for U.S. Congressman Allen Boyd, whom Lawson will try to unseat this November.
Lawson’s staffers uploaded the video to Youtube where they accused Mason of trespassing. It is not clear from the video where exactly Mason was standing but it was outside, not inside.
And it is not clear why Mason was trying to film Lawson but it doesn’t make a difference as it didn’t make a difference in the assault incident involving North Carolina Congressman [__Bob Etheridge.__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/congressman-etheridge-committed-battery-not-assault)
