A Florida man is behind bars after police say he threatened to shoot some kids just because they made waves by his boat.
Christopher Evensen, 43, now faces five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon following his heated confrontation with several teenagers that took place on Oct. 4 on the Intracoastal Waterway in New Smyrna Beach.
Authorities say Evensen was driving his boat on the waterway when he encountered some kids nearby making a wake, otherwise known as a disturbed trail of water.
“The man reportedly pointed a handgun at the juveniles and made verbal threats, stating he would shoot them. Several juveniles on the water at the time confirmed that the suspect aimed the weapon in their direction while yelling threats,” New Smyrna Beach Police wrote in a Facebook post.
A witness told WSVN that he saw Evensen yell threats at the kids.
“He was threatening them all, ‘Come over here to the boat ramp, come park your boat, and I’ll kill all y’all,’” said Kevin Buchans.
Buchans said Evensen offered him whiskey right after yelling at the kids.
“‘That might be why you’re in an argument with these other people in the boat, because you sound like you’ve had too much to drink already,’ is what I told him,” Buchans recalled.
A police report also said one teen took cellphone video footage of the encounter, which reportedly showed Evensen reach into his pocket and grab a silver and black item that resembled the shape of a semi-automatic handgun.
According to WESH, the victims told police that he “pointed a gun and waved it at us,” and that he said he would “shoot them and watch them bleed out.”
“He’s an adult, he should know better,” Buchans said.
Police later caught up with Evensen at his home. The 43-year-old admitted to yelling at the kids and acting “stupid,” but he denied ever having a gun with him.
He later confessed that he lied about the weapon possession.
He was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail and later released after posting his $25,500 bond.
