A Florida man has been arrested and charged after allegedly pointing a handgun at a group of juveniles who created a wake near his boat on the Intracoastal Waterway.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday, has led to Christopher Evensen, 43, facing five counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Improper Exhibition of a Dangerous Weapon.
According to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department (NSBPD), Evensen became “irate” when the children’s boat created a wake near his vessel off the east coast of Florida. Several juveniles on the water claimed the man pointed a handgun at them while “yelling threats,” with the NSBPD Facebook post citing victims’ accounts that the man threatened to “shoot them.”
A police report noted that cellphone footage of the incident showed a man on a boat reaching into his pocket for a silver and black item resembling a “semi-automatic handgun.”
Witness Kevin Buchans, who was on the water, told WSVN that while he didn’t see a gun, he heard Evensen threatening the kids, saying things like, “Come over here to the boat ramp, come park your boat, and I’ll kill all y’all.” Buchans also recalled telling Evensen he sounded like he’d “had too much to drink,” after Evensen allegedly offered him whiskey shortly after the confrontation.
Police eventually located Evensen’s car at a local home after tracking his boat following the alleged incident.
Upon questioning by authorities, Evensen admitted to screaming at the children and acting “stupid,” but he refuted the claim that he had a weapon, stating he didn’t even have a gun on him.
Evensen initially told police he didn’t own a gun, but later retracted that statement.
Evensen was subsequently taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail. He later posted his $25,500 bail.
READ: “Thermos Man” Arrested In Florida After Bizarre Incident And Polk County Jail Body Scan
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