Police arrest homicide suspect while enforcing social distancing on Florida beach

Residents flock to beaches as coronavirus suspension partially lifted

Police have arrested a man suspected of homicide while patrolling a Florida beach to enforce social distancing measures, reports have said.

Jacksonville Beach police arrested Mario Matthew Gatti on Jacksonville Beach on Sunday, only days after a number of the state's beaches were reopened by order of the mayor, according to WJAX-TV.

According to the report, authorities were patrolling the area to make sure residents were practising social distancing guidelines.

The CBS affiliate reported that Mr Gatti was issued an arrest warrant for suspected homicide after the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man in Arnold, Pennsylvania in January.

The police department posted a photo of the arrest on its Twitter account, with the comment: “This morning while officers patrolled the beach proper they captured a Fugitive from Justice, wanted in Arnold, Pennsylvania for Homicide. Good job!”

According to the broadcaster, Mr Gatti was taken to the Duval County jail upon his arrest. CBS reported that jail records did not list a lawyer for the suspect.

The arrest comes as a result of mayor Lenny Curry's announcement on Friday that beaches in the area would be partially reopened after being locked down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

As part of the new order, beaches will be open for nine hours during the day for “exercise only”, the city’s website said. Residents will be allowed to swim and run, but sunbathing, gathering in large groups and setting up chairs will remain banned.

The state's governor Ron Desantis was previously criticised for his initial reluctance to issue statewide stay-at-home orders and refusal to shut its beaches as the virus spread around the country.

Florida currently has over 26,000 recorded cases of the novel coronavirus as of Monday with at least 770 recorded deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.