A Palm Beach Gardens urgent care clinical director is facing a false imprisonment charge after police say she blocked a patient from leaving the clinic during a May 25 visit, an encounter the patient recorded and later took to police. The arrest is turning heads in part because the clinic promotes itself as offering “true compassion” to patients.
According to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by CBS12, the patient told officers she was informed she could not be seen because she did not have insurance and that staff offered a cash-only option she declined. The affidavit states that as an argument escalated, the patient began recording video, which shows clinical director Zeinab Arafat locking the clinic door and standing in front of it to keep the patient from leaving. Police say the patient can be heard repeatedly asking to go while Arafat stays in front of the doorway.
True Compassion Urgent Care’s website lists Arafat as the clinic’s clinical director and identifies the Burns Road location in Palm Beach Gardens as one of its sites. The business describes itself as physician led and highlights services such as digital X-rays and on-site lab testing, positioning the clinic as an alternative to an emergency room visit.
Police Review Leads To Charge
Palm Beach Gardens police reviewed the patient’s video and statement and, according to CBS12, determined there was probable cause to charge Arafat with false imprisonment. The affidavit alleges Arafat remained in front of the doorway until an officer arrived and the door was unlocked. The report also notes that Arafat filed her own police report about the encounter, accusing the patient and indicating she wanted to prosecute.
What False Imprisonment Means In Florida
Under Florida law, false imprisonment is defined in §787.02 as the unlawful confinement or restraint of another person and is generally treated as a third-degree felony. The offense can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison along with other penalties, and punishments can increase in certain aggravating situations, according to the Florida Statutes.
The case remains in local review, and any formal court filings, charges, or hearing dates will appear in public court records as it moves through the system. For now, officials say the probable cause affidavit and the video recorded during the visit were central to the decision to charge the clinical director.
