An argument at a Fort Lauderdale marina went from bad to worse when a group of teens were fishing in a spot they weren’t supposed to. Words were exchanged, equipment was broken, and that’s when one of the boys’ parents called Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer.
Sometimes our emotions can get the best of us. And that’s what seems to have happened at this marina in Fort Lauderdale. What started out as a group of kids fishing turned into a confrontation.
Max Posada: “My mom dropped us off fishing in this area. And when we got here, some other kids were here. And we had to go fish in the restaurant.”
Sixteen-year-old Max Posada and his friends were fishing on the dock behind the restaurant where people feed tarpon. Fishing on the restaurant dock means they were trespassing.
Max Posada: “Yeah, we were getting asked to leave from over there, which is why we’re coming over here, also getting our stuff.”
The illegal fishing bothered a local angler. He quickly let the boys hear about it.
Max Posada: “He started screaming at us, calling us names, cursing at us, cursing us out, like, and we weren’t even bothering him, like, we were in the restaurant, he was on the marina, completely other side.”
The teens yelled back and the argument just kept escalating.
Max Posada: “He came over here asking: ‘Hey, whose rod is this?’ And then slammed them on the ground and chucked my rod in the air.”
No one seemed to be backing down. And then:
Max Posada: “We were talking to him. He goes like, ‘Yeah, what are you guys going to do? You guys are little kids,’ lifts up his waistband and shows us his gun.”
Cops came. They would write in their report “the gun was never pointed at anyone” and that “it stayed tucked in the male’s waistband.”
By now, Max’s mom, Marcela, had arrived and she wanted to press charges for the damaged fishing pole.
Howard, talk about getting your lines tangled — who’s in the wrong here?
Howard Finkelstein: “While the kids do not have a right to fish on private property, no one has a right to destroy their property. It’s a crime to do so. You can be arrested and go to jail for it.”
We called the man who slammed the pole to the ground. He agrees — cooler heads should’ve prevailed that day, and he offered to replace Max’s fishing pole, asked if we’d deliver the money.
When tempers flare, it’s best to just walk away.
Brandon: “What did you learn?”
Max Posada: “To fish in, like, public places. If I’m not allowed to fish there, I probably shouldn’t be there.”
The good news is there’s plenty of other spots.
Max Posada: “I’m glad I called Help Me Howard. Thank you guys so much.”
Destroying someone’s property? That’s a crime. In this case, the fisherman offered to replace the fishing pole if the boy’s mom agreed to let it go and she agreed. Lessons learned all around.
You got a problem? Need a hand? Here’s how to reach us. It’s Help Me Howard, I’m Brandon Beyer, 7News.
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