18 Army Rangers suspended for allegedly firing blanks at crowded Florida beach after mock ‘sea battle' during pirate festival
Shiver me timbers!
Nearly two dozen Army Rangers were reportedly suspended after wild videos surfaced online allegedly showing the soldiers firing several blank rounds at a crowded Florida beach during a local pirate festival.
The 18 soldiers from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder are under investigation for using their automatic weapons without permission after participating in a mock 'sea battle' at the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival on Crab Island in Destin Friday, according to Task & Purpose.
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4 The US Army suspended 18 Rangers after soldiers were captured on video allegedly firing blank rounds at a crowded Florida beach.
Wam Water Adventures/Facebook
Shocking videos shared on social media captured at least two groups of uniformed soldiers in small boats — surrounded by swimmers and boaters — firing bursts of shots into the air along Fort Walton Beach and terrifying beachgoers.
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'Is that real?' one woman could be heard shouting in one of the clips.
A festivalgoer told the outlet that the unexpected gunfire forced several boaters to take cover.
4 Videos showed the soldiers firing bursts of shots into the air.
Wam Water Adventures/Facebook
'This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,' Michael Ingram, a local charter boat captain, said.
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'You can't be joking about it.'
The alarming incident occurred after the Rangers took part in the faux maritime skirmish, during which the servicemen fired blanks from their boats at a pirate ship to 'capture' Billy Bowlegs — a legendary figure in the Sunshine State.
While the dummy rounds were approved for the floating firefight, city officials said the soldiers did not have permission to rattle off additional shots afterward.
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4 The alarming incident happened during a pirate festival on Crab Island.
Wam Water Adventures/Facebook
'What happened at Crab Island was NOT part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, NOR was it approved by either the City of Fort Walton Beach or the Billy Bowlegs organization,' the city wrote in a Facebook post Saturday.
'A noise alert was sent out early Friday detailing the exact time frame and location of this 'battle,' as well as the noises that could be expected. This was the ONLY approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons.'
The sudden pop of shots also reportedly resulted in local police receiving a flurry of concerned calls.
4 Festival organizers said the Rangers did not have permission to rattle off shots.
Gil Osterloh/Facebook
The soldiers, who are stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, are now barred from training recruits in the final phase of the Army's Ranger course — dubbed the swamp phase — pending the outcome of the probe, the outlet reported.
'The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island,' a spokesperson for the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning told the publication.
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'We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome.'
The US Army did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
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