 On 17 May 2010, Golding relented and the government issued a warrant for Coke's arrest,

The Senator Tom Tavares-Finson withdrew as Coke's attorney on 18 May 2010 "in order to avoid conflict of interest".Following this news, Coke's supporters began protesting and arming themselves.In late May 2010, the national government placed Kingston under a state of emergency after a series of shootings and firebombings within the city.