A paddleboarder in Malibu, California, was arrested on Thursday for ignoring orders to get out of the ocean as the state is under a stay-at-home order, police said.
Lifeguards flagged down Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to help remove a man on a paddleboard from the ocean, but the man defied their verbal commands for roughly 30-40 minutes, according to KTLA 5 News.
When the man refused to come to shore, deputies called upon their patrol boat from nearby Marina Del Ray, authorities said. The man came to shore when that boat arrived, and he was arrested on suspicion of disobeying a lifeguard and violating Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
“On April 2, 2020, Lost Hills Sheriff’s station deputies were flagged down by lifeguards regarding a male adult in the water, disobeying lifeguard orders to exit the water,” a Facebook post from the Lost Hills Sherrif’s Station said. “The suspect remained in the water paddle boarding for approximately 30-40 minutes. LASD boat was brought in from Marina Del Rey Station, once the Sheriff’s boat arrived on scene, the suspect complied and swam to shore.”
The man, who was not identified, was booked on misdemeanor charges and released with a notice to appear in court, according to deputies.
He could face a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both.
A surfer in nearby Manhattan Beach, California, was fined $1,000 last weekend for ignoring orders to exit the ocean, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 20, making California the first state in the country to do so.
“This is a moment where we need some straight talk,” Newsom said at the time. “As individuals and as a community, we need to do more to meet this moment.”
