A Florida charter captain was arrested after allegedly holding hostage a group of men on his boat while snorting cocaine, drinking excessively, shooting off a gun multiple times, and refusing to dock.
Mark Bailey, 36, was arrested by police in Sarasota after holding the men for 17 hours on his boat in what was supposed to be a 12-hour charter fishing trip. The Washington Examiner obtained police documents from the arrest, which include witness statements from the men on board the vessel.
According to documents, the trip started off relatively normal, but things took a turn for the worst after Bailey — who was allegedly seen snorting cocaine and drinking — became angry with a 15-year-old passenger, shoving him and tearing the chain off of his neck.
At one point after the confrontation, Bailey reportedly said, “You think you’re a tough guy? I have a 9mm and I could pop all you motherf—–s.”
Bailey then allegedly fired off a handgun multiple times.
“I dove on the ground and crawled into the cabin from just outside the door,” one passenger recounted.
The men on board repeatedly asked Bailey to take them back to shore, according to accounts of the incident, but he kept drinking and driving the boat around in circles until finally arriving back to the dock around 1 a.m.
Police and the Coast Guard were waiting and arrested Bailey upon his arrival. Bailey was charged with Boating Under the Influence and resisting arrest without violence for kicking the door of the police car. Police said he had “watery bloodshot eyes” and was slurring his speech.
The Coast Guard is investigating any other potential charges that occurred in federal jurisdiction.
