If you like fish and wildlife content, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future videos. Officers with Florida Fish and Wildlife responded to a call reference to the United States Coast Guard asking for assistance. According to the report, an angler on a recreational fishing vessel reportedly fired a rifle towards a commercial fishing vessel offshore in the Florida Keys. Go home. All right. Um maybe just hang out at that uh Snake Creek. Um we're not exactly sure what's going on yet, but uh Coast Guard's got 1015 on the bow of the subject vessel. Um it's rough as hell out here, so trying to get him on this boat. Uh maybe a little difficult. Maybe a lot easier to get him on their boat, which they then they would then they go in the Snake Creek. But we got a lot of talking to do to figure out what the hell's going on. Who's that? Including said marking out. Marking out? Including what to do with the boat and if we 1015 this guy. Yeah, figure out first what the heck even happened. What the heck you guys in charge doing here? All right, what do you guys got? What's that? You want to hop on? A little sketchy, but all right. Hey, why don't you get on get on hey get on your boat and then we'll get off that way. Your boat's got all the fenders on it. I can also just talk to you guys. Yeah, that's fine. What do you He's fishing someone's chum slick. Okay. Guy starts hollering at him to tell him get out of my chum slick. Okay. He's had past past instances before where he's had guns pulled on him. This time he said he was just afraid of this guy whatever he was yelling at him. Who Who Who's had guns pointed at him before? This guy. And he's out here by himself? Right. >> And he's out here Where's he from? Where are you from? Key Largo. All right. So he was getting I got a stick. So he was getting hollered at by some one of these commercial fishermen out here. He pulled out his rifle, they are 15 and shot in the water as a warning shot I guess. Who's the victim? The victim is a commercial fisherman. We got his phone number. He's a reporting source as well. Where Where's he at? We need a We need to talk to him then. >> scared and drove in. Definitely called us. Okay. >> This guy fired a round at his boat. >> Well, we need to talk to him. >> Yeah, we got to talk to him and everything. All the while you have one in custody without Rightfully so, but we need to find the victim and get a statement from them to take to take him in. >> will be following up here. Sit by his phone waiting for our call. Okay, so What are you guys going to do with him? Yeah. We're detaining him right now. We got four different shots with him. Sign this paperwork. All right. Okay, yeah. Moving forward what's your plan? Well, one we have to figure out exactly the position it was cuz I don't know if it was even within 3 miles of your guys' jurisdiction. That's a good start. Yeah, we got to find out Yeah, we got to find We got to figure that out. You let So that guy just went in, the other guy just left? He was He was gone before we even got out here. He got a round fired at his boat, he started heading in. And then he followed up. There was no We never even saw him eye to eye. All right. >> But we have an empty shell casing here and another round with the primer struck. He definitely fired his weapon. Yeah, they said they want to press charges, so Okay, is that something you guys can do or Uh Okay. All right. All right, we got to go find the victim. Or that We got to go find that second boat, the commercial boat. >> Give us Give us a second cuz What's What's the name What's the name of the commercial boat? We got his number and all his contact info here in a second. Come on. Coming over? Coming over. It's not a great spot for me to grab onto and it's a little slippery right here. >> on the on the front, I'll be able to get you a little closer to the back of the boat. Hey, if you want to, you can drop him off on our boat and our boat can drop him off on your boat. Yeah, they both got all the fenders, dude. Come on. Let's not Let's not Let's not add to this. Come forward. Come forward. >> [sighs] >> Got ID? Uh [ __ ] I think our boat still has it. It's on our It's on our asset. All right. Uh there's a registration >> expended on his boat. I got And this round he had a misfire. Where's the registration? Hey, we have it on our boat. The registration and actually on Are you Are you kind of Hey, are you the one in charge or you the one in charge of you two? >> [clears throat] >> I just want Can I forget my hands around me? I'm I'm 77 years old, buddy, and I'm bad shoulders. You ain't got nothing to fear from me. I got you. Please, I'll put you in custody. So, what's the word? I need to talk to him first. Find out get his side of the story and then I I got Mirandized him first before asking any questions. Thanks. My first time ever getting handcuffed. Oh, brother. Man, my shoulder is killing me now. Uh God almighty. Thank you. It's home. Has he been patted down? You got any more of You got any other weapons on you? They patted me down. Trust me, they've done everything. So Yeah. Knife, guns, anything else that'll poke us, hurt us? No. Good. No. All right, Mr. Before I ask you any other questions, I'm going to read you your Miranda rights, okay? Sure. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you can say and will be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand Do you understand each of these rights as I explained to you? I do. Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now? Talk to me now? I'll talk to you now, sure. >> You good without the cuffs? Yeah, you guys can stay behind. You're 77? Yes, sir. You out here by yourself? Yes, sir. Out here all the time by myself. >> Do that quite a bit? Probably four or five days a week, yeah. Yeah. I think I'll look at your your boat here. You're obviously an avid fisherman. Yeah, do it all the time. Fish and dive? Fish and dive? What were you doing today? Trolling. Trolling, okay. Is uh trolling for wahoo Any luck? >> and tuna. I got one bite, but broke off. That was it. Is this uh This This area right here >> Uh I see this area all Is this Are we in the area when this incident happened? Is Are we in the same Uh we're about probably 2 miles north. Okay. All right, so what time did you get out here? What time did you leave dock? I I was out 6:30. And you're You're on the water? I I'm on the water. My boat's I'm just on the lift on the water. I got you. Okay. And So you got out here you got out here about approximately what time you started lines in the water? I put lines in the water probably around 6:30 out. Yeah. And trolling for how long? Before Maybe a hour or two. Okay. Got you. Were you the only Were you Were you the only boat out here or were there other vessels out here? Oh, there There was Actually, there was a few boats out here, but not you know, I wasn't near anyone. I was going to show you and I just had to slow down the way. We got molasses over there that we're looking at. >> Oh, yeah, but I No, I'm just going to show you how the distance that I was from the guy. I never was behind him. I never was behind him. I never was in his chum slick. >> holding Are you okay? I'm Yeah, I'm I'm a diabetic. I'm just an old man, buddy, okay? Okay. And uh I'm I'm being hollered at by the And I was trolling and he was right over here, okay? He was I wasn't in his slick. I wasn't behind him and I'm and my I'm I got enough knowledge to know that you don't fish right behind somebody, okay? He's He's He's He's a commercial guy. He's out there trying to make a living. I wasn't even close to that. I was close. I was close enough I could hear him cussing me and yelling at me and giving me the finger, but I didn't know who what he was. Okay. So I shut everything off and I'm trying to do whatever and he's yelling and screaming and whatever. So I just said you know, and he [snorts] just keeps yelling and screaming and honking his horn bull and all this stuff. And uh several years ago, I had a man pull a gun on me before right up to me and he said you were fishing too close to me or whatever and I wasn't close to him. Yeah, I was probably 300 ft. Yeah. But anyway, that day forward outside, I wasn't going to come out here unarmed, okay? So I pulled the gun out and I fired it out in the water, figure, okay? Just to let him know that I'm too old to be Okay? I mean, I didn't you know, I don't need to be confronted, okay? Well, so and then I put the gun down and I went back home. That was it. How far when when the time of the discharge, how far how far was the other vessel? By that time I was probably 300 yards from him. Cuz I was already past him by then. So you could still hear him You could hear him But you can't you you can't hear the words, but you can hear just yelling and screaming and throwing his hands up and and giving me the finger, you know? So that's all. You could hear and see that from 300 yards? Well, of course you can. Out here, nothing's stopping you. It's breezy. I mean, 100 ft Maybe for 200 You know, so but it was a long day. But I was never ever behind. Never ever ever, okay? Okay. I saw him. I passed another commercial boat over here. And I was a couple of 100 yd away from here. They were over there and I'm over here and I'm just trolling. They didn't say nothing. And I'm going on and I'm going on and I'm still fishing. And I was I see this other commercial boat over here, but I'm not close to him. And when I get you know, 150 yd or so from him >> [snorts] >> he starts yelling at me. And I'm going what? What the hey? What? You know? It's time I It's time to discharge your weapon. What were you thinking? I was thinking don't mess with me, buddy. Okay? Don't hear the actual words. Right, right. He just yelling and screaming and yelling and screaming and giving me the finger and throwing both hands up like what the hell, you know? And he just, you know, he kept giving me the finger and then he pissed me off. So I grabbed the gun and fired a shot to let him know that hey, don't come over and chase me over and you know and the cops All right. That's That's the only thing. I never got any from anybody. I didn't try to go to him. I just kept fishing. And that's it. Did you feel threatened at any time? No. Did he get mad? Just He's mad that he was yelling at you? >> Yes. That's all. Just mad that he was yelling at me cuz I wasn't doing anything wrong. Okay? I don't like to be accused of of something when I'm not doing something wrong. Okay? Got you. You wouldn't like it either. Okay? No. And all I did was just let him know that he didn't need to come over and mess with me because I thought sure as the world he's going to start that boat up and he's going to come over and mess with me. And I know he's going to be a young guy and I can't do nothing with a young guy. Okay? Yeah. So Where were you Where were you standing at the time when you discharged your weapon? >> I just About right here? And I shot right right here. So it's right over right over your bow? >> Right over my bow. How many How many rounds did you fire? >> Just one shot. Did you finish loading the gun now? Never seen Shooting one time was enough to let him know that I'm armed and I was going to mess with him. Okay? Okay. You know, I carried a weapon out here a lot of times because there's so many migrants also you know? And I found like six bucks out here. And The pair will be back with you. Is his story the same story as when you guys came on board as when you originally boarded him? Yes. Same thing? We didn't really question him like you did initially. Did he really raise anything or did he question him but he spontaneously >> Did he just Yes. I mean he posted around here in the water. He never said he fired a gun. And it's it's the gun is right here when we took that something like And my boy said he shot a gun from right here. But uh We saw a shell on the on the deck. >> shell on the deck right here. Right here just located at police. Got you. Got you. Yeah, and then we we talked to you I have the other guy's number if you want it. The victim? >> Yeah, we're going to Hey, do you have the second boat's number, name and number? The whole number for this boat? You want me to write it down for you both? Yeah, I had the FL number for sure, but hey, do you have the second number for the the the >> number for the guy? >> The commercial boat? Yeah. Boxino is on it. He knows what he needs to get. Um he you know, elements get a statement. They want to press Yeah, cuz we >> So they're working on that. Yeah, cuz you can call me for a statement. Okay. Yeah, we talked to him and You want You want us to stay there for a minute? Let me stay here for a minute. Okay. Um he seemed pretty shaken up when we talked to him. Uh he said that uh he didn't discharge it like verbally said that. And then uh he pretty much just gave us the account of the rundown of what happened with him. He said he was commercial fishing for yellowtail. Uh and this guy started fishing his chum slick So he said that he was telling him telling him in uh don't fish our chum slick or don't fish my chum slick and then he said he saw this guy go up forward and I moved a beam back Remember he had a steering wheel and he asked him for he was steering Joey said he went up forward grabbed something out of a compartment, pulled the gun out and fired one round in the water that still He said Joey said it was Dixon's boat. Nah, I'm going to stay on board. Okay. I'm going to stay on board. So let's start heading in towards Rodriguez. Rodriguez? Yeah, a little little less bouncy. I don't know if you heard me or not, but we're going to move this operation in a little bit. It's a little bouncy out here. >> You you know where that where that boat is flipped over? All right, nice and easy. We're heading in, okay? Up the side here. Should be an easier ride than coming out here. Yeah, why don't we take Your boat is definitely the is a better option for him. Yeah, I got something to ask you. Um and one of you is going to take this one back? >> Yeah, I'll take him and take him back. All right. All right, that's what we're doing. Him and this boat are going back to your station. Yeah. And I got to go find the the victim. I'm on the way to go find him. All right. You hear that, Trey? What was that? Say it again. We're taking him. You guys taking the boat back to station. All right. Three seasons going to try to find the victim's boat. Yes. It'll be a better ride for him if he Yeah, he's got to be on board here. So you you guys are cool with Yeah, we're going to push the Absolutely. Just come on. I can get up here. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. I'm good. I'm good. I got up here. Now here. Let me I got I'm good. That's good. I'm done. Thank you. Perfect. I'm good. How you doing, sir? Good. How are you? Pretty good. Officer Pearson Florida Fish and Wildlife. So you get it You okay to write a written write a sworn statement about the about the situation? For me later. Just put your cell phone here and then just from from the sequence of events from the beginning starting from the very end of what happened. Just as detailed as detailed as you can. Just write wrote down what happened. All right. So you were out in federal waters? I Not really sure either. Couldn't tell you because I don't know if Conch State waters now or not. I don't know. I haven't looked at that in so long. Well, we'll figure that out. We'll figure it out. Either way, there's all kind of statutes that allow us to enforce laws out there, too. Particularly something like this. So uh What How do you want me to start off? I just anchored up fishing? Yeah. Just in your own words and and here's the deal. Told uh Like you were telling us the story. Like you just met us in a in a bar restaurant. Like you know what? You know what happened today? >> It's everything but the gun part. Yeah, yeah. Well, just I'll say it to tell it like a story in a timeline. Uh And uh we'll move on from that. I mean his idea and everything to the top. Well, what exactly happened from from from the start? >> Anchored up fishing and I see this guy >> Where? Where at? At Pickles Reef. >> Pickles Reef, okay. And just see this guy from a long ways. There's nobody even around, you know? And just see this guy is just driving like right out of my chum. A lot of chum. I mean I use like 800 lb of chum a day. >> Okay. So I have like this giant slick you can see. It's The guy is just driving right down it. Comes straight at me like to right behind my boat. I mean he just screwed my day gone. Like Was Did you have a Do you have a description of the guy what he looked like? >> even I couldn't even tell you what he looked like because I He just The way the sun was I was like looking into the sun direction. This is the boat, correct? I couldn't see the guy's face. I just could tell you the boat and then I got the pictures of the boat, but he was like not far away from me at all, but I still couldn't see his face. Okay. And uh he came right there and I said, "Dude, you're way too close to me, you know? Like this is ridiculous. I'm trying to make a living, you know? You have to There's a law that has to give me some space." >> Yep. And they don't ever listen. So the guy stops the boat, takes it out of gear. He says, "I can do whatever I want, you know?" Or whatever. He puts his hands up. He says, "I can do whatever I want, you know?" >> So he just came He just came out to you when you were when you were fishing when you were fishing? >> here to the back corner of that trailer away. Okay. But I still couldn't see him cuz the sun was just like at that point it was just like >> was behind you and he's coming up behind you or He came behind me and then he was like off my corner, you know, when he stopped. >> Okay. And then he just puts his hands up and I go I mean, come on, dude. You're killing me here, you know? Like And then he put his hands up again. So I put my hands up. I'm like, "You're killing me. Come on. Please leave. You're killing me, you know?" And uh So he put his hands up one last time and he goes up to the front which I thought there was somebody sitting there on the like a bean bag chair in the front >> cuz it took him a second and he like pushed the bean bag chair away. I thought the guy was on there and he had to move or something cuz I could still like I said the way the sun was and kind of like the boat turned a little bit. So he was in the front. But then he opened the console up. I'm like, "Oh gosh, what I thought he was going to throw the anchor." You know, I was like, "Oh here Finish saying it cuz all you had to do was Okay. You know, I thought I was just going to get the anchor out of the down below or something and throw it. And instead he gets this gun out, holds it up like this. Like one hand on the barrel and one hand on the butt. So I can plain as day see that's an assault rifle. Okay. I'm like, "Okay, now what?" You know? Like the guy's going to pull out his gun. Now what? So he pulled the assault rifle up, showed it to you? He held it gun above his head and showed me. Then he takes it and he points it right at me and fires. And the bullet lands like 5 ft from my boat directly at my The guy would have gone like this with the wave, he would have shot me. And then the other one was about 20 ft away. A little bit more forward. So so that first bullet, where was it at? So >> So you were sitting on >> the tube of the bullet go under my boat. So he shot he shot a bullet and it went under the boat, hit the water, went under the boat. >> like 5 ft away I would say and went under my boat. >> Okay. How close were you to both at the time? I mean I I I'll show you the video. I can't I can't tell you the exact distance, but Just a just a a a Yeah just just approximate. Yeah yeah. I would say maybe 80 ft or so. 100 ft. I don't really know. It's hard to tell on videos cuz it's the the way the thing is this is him leaving. This is like after I had already called my friend and to call Coast Guard cuz I told him I said this guy's shooting at me. I don't know you know I need somebody to call in case something happens, you know? Like I didn't want to I was needed to be able to duck down and whatever. So uh So after the first shot uh what what what did you do? I just stood there and I was like whoa what the hell, you know? It was just bam bam, you know? >> were just two quick consecutive. >> Yeah. And then he and then he I go I go what the you know, like what what's wrong with you? And then he went put it away and then he just like he went a little bit away to like the west and sat there and I'm like okay then I hope they're coming, you know? And they sat there and then he trolled back to the east a little bit which is north or towards Miami and then he stopped again and then I finally got on the phone with the Coast Guard cuz they called me. I said you guys got to get out here cuz he's leaving, you know? And I'm going to lose sight. So then they went directly to him. I directed them right to him and Did you get a dress? Over there. Did any of the shots hit your boat? Did any No no so they were all shot in the water. I mean the one looks like it was the first original shot it looked like it was aiming at me. >> Yes sir. I mean he pulled the trigger cuz that's close enough for comfort for me. I I don't need nobody pulling a gun on me. I mean I've been doing this for 29 years. I've had all kinds of issues out there and usually it's just that's it at the end of the day it's over with not somebody pulling a gun. Yes sir. Yeah. At any point were you were you fearful of your life at any point? I have shot I mean who wouldn't be? Yes sir. I mean that bullet ain't that's a death bullet. That ain't no joke. >> Yes sir. It's rip your freaking head off bullet. Well I appreciate the sworn written statement, sir. I'll go ahead and get this written down and I'll go ahead and give it to the investigating officer and then we'll go we'll we'll we'll proceed. Uh absolutely. Yes sir. Hey Mikey, how you doing, man? Good good. Uh listen, man, we uh we just got a statement from from this reporting party here too. Guy fired two shots from a a range of about 80 ft and one hit about 5 ft from him, the other one hit 20. He's still shook up. We're meeting all the elements of of aggravated assault on this. So uh we're good, man. We're covered up. So uh when we get in it's going to be it's going to be the arrest, man. We'll make the 10-15 and uh my guys will square that from there. I talked to Matt and I know we're going to keep the boat over there for a little bit. If he can come up with somebody to release it to pulling a gang, if not um at least for a couple days you guys are going to have to sit on that boat at Islamorada, all right? Anyway, uh sorry we met under these circumstances, but uh we're we're we're on we're on this now so we're good. We're going to go we're going to go take care of things over at Coast Guard now. So I'm alive so that's That's it, man. That's uh I at the end of the day that's at that's the main goal, right? Yeah. Is there anything of value that you want to bring with you to the jail so that it comes out when you come out? Come Do you have your wallet? Your cell phone? >> Uh my cell phone has everything. Does it have your cell phone? My cell phone has my has my credit cards and my Your cell phone is your wallet. >> My cell phone is my wallet. Besides that anything else you want to come with your property to the jail? No. Could could sure use some water. Yeah you had almost picked me up to get in here cuz I'm I'm really All right. Well we're going to go back back back first, okay? Okay. [snorts] And then I'm going to back you up. I'm going to tell you you're going to take your right foot and get it up on the step here. Buddy you you know can you take this me out of handcuffs until I can get in and then put them back on me? Let's try like let's try it like this first, okay? Yeah that's not going to happen. Right foot up. Yeah. You don't think you can get in there, buddy? I'm in I'm just I I can't do nothing. Okay. I can't do anything. We got one two three we're going to push up, okay? >> Okay. Go ahead. One two three. Go ahead. Okay. All right. Okay. All right. That wasn't too bad, was it? No I'm still fine. I think you're more athletic than you than you think. Yeah right. [laughter] Wait a minute you got your stuff? All right. We have your hat, your keys, car keys, you got your bubble gum which you need. Yeah I do. And your phone's right here. It's but your phone's your wallet. Put a bubble gum in my mouth right now. >> [sighs] >> Let's wait till we get to the jail, okay? All right. Get that Okay. Let's go. All right. Here we go. He is diabetic. Let's get him over there get him over there quick cuz he is he does have he was chewing on some gum earlier. He said he needs that gum all the time for his sugar. Let the jail know. You got him with me? I'll be I'll come Yeah I guess I am. I don't know if I can get I can fall out. I can fall out. I don't want you to fall out. So I know. I don't want you falling out. When you get my age you'll find out you ain't got no balance, okay? Yeah. I tell you what when I'm when I'm when I'm your age I'd like to be doing Yeah. Good in this this shape, okay? That's it. Just doing what I'm doing. Yep. Good. All right. Okay. I'm chewing on my chewing on my lips. One. No. MCSO is going to come later with one. In the end the suspect was charged with displaying a firearm during a felony, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill, and firing a weapon in public. He later played no contest to the assault charge and firing a weapon in public was adjudicated guilty and was sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay $933 in costs and fines which remained entirely unpaid. Shortly after going on probation a warrant was issued for his arrest. Unfortunately the documents for the warrant are sealed, but it appears that he violated the terms set in his order of probation. If you like this video and want to see more like it, subscribe to Arrest Cam. As always, thanks for watching.