A Florida man who used a hammer to attack a protected species of shark has been arrested.
Brian Waddill was arrested by Indian Harbor police on Friday, according to a representative of the Department, WOFL reported.
Waddill had been issued a summons, but did not appear, leading to the arrest warrant.
Waddill faces two misdemeanor charges: failure to return a prohibited species unharmed and a violation against the harvest, landing, or sale of sharks.
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The incident for which Waddill was charged took place at Bicentennial Beach Park in Indian Harbor Beach on December 20.
At that time, witnesses saw a man reel in a shark, then attack it.
Waddill hit the shark multiple times with a hammer, witnesses said. He then used the hammer to rip out the shark’s gills, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
Should this man face more serious charges?
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The individual involved also was reported to have used a knife to cut the shark.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s investigative report said the suspect kept attacking the shark until he realized that he was being watched.
At that point, the shark — which appeared lifeless — was dragged back into the ocean by the man. The shark’s carcass was carried away and has not been located.
Lemon sharks are protected from being killed in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website.
The Florida Museum said lemon sharks “represent little threat to humans.”
Citing the International Shark Attack File, the museum said there have been 10 unprovoked attacks on humans by lemon sharks, none of which were fatal.
Waddill was initially held on a $500 bond but was later released, according to the New York Post.
In December, WKMG reported that the man had reportedly caught sharks at the beach before.
The station reported that it was told by Ken Wells that he had seen the man catching sharks and keeping them.
“I don’t know that he did anything wrong if he’s keeping the shark and eating it,” Wells said. “But if he’s not and he’s just killing it, then that would be another problem.”
