A 38-year-old Florida man was arrested after refusing to leave the water.
Garrison Fraser Creamer was bodyboarding in Panama City, Florida on Tuesday during double red flag conditions. Apparently, that means only surfers with a leash are allowed in the water. After beach officials, the cops, and even a helicopter stormed the shore, insisting Creamer to come in, he eventually did, and was arrested.
But he didn’t go down without a fight.
“At first we thought that he was in distress,” Jody Morgan, a resident who captured the incident on camera, told local news. “Another deputy pulled out in another truck and they were motioning for him to come in and he kept waving his arms. Well, come to find out, the man wasn’t in distress. He was just waving them away. He was like, no, I’m good. Well, they kept saying, ‘Come in.’ He was like, ‘I’m good.’”
In a video posted to Kook of the Day, a bystander gave this report:
“Reporting from West Panama City Beach, Florida man boogieboarding in double red flag conditions has a standoff with the police for over an hour.
“They called a chopped in to get him out of the water. He’s not budging. He’s just trying to shred some gnar. Finally, he runs out of the water. Jukes one cop to the ground. I used to play strong safety, but not today; I’m playing cameraman.
“He jukes another civilian, but then he’s just gassed. Gets to the hill. And I don’t know if he thought this was a civilian coming to tackle him, but that is a cop he just slammed to the ground.
“So, they pursue to have a little wrestling match. This cop, probably all state high school wrestling, gets on top of him. Starts feeding him a few jabs.
“Yeah, so he might’ve faced a $500 dollar fine for boogieboarding during double red flag. But fighting a cop, now he’s going to jail for a little while.
“Just a weird way to spend your Tuesday lunch break, pal. Not sure what the end goal was here, or what drugs he was on…but he was shredding on that boogieboard, I will say.
“Just another day in Panama City Beach.”
According to local news, Creamer was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing law enforcement officers, and battery of a law enforcement officer. Oh, and he got a citation for violating the double red flag, too.
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