Florida man claiming to be holding yacht for friend Donald Trump arrested
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TMX
MIAMI (TMX) — A Florida man is facing charges for allegedly trespassing on a stranger’s yacht then telling police he was “holding” the boat for his “friend” and actual owner, President Donald Trump.
The Miami Police Department on Thursday shared body-worn camera video from a “river yacht standoff” after the boat’s owner reported there was an unknown man on board.
After speaking with the owner, officers boarded the boat and found the suspect casually seated with his legs crossed. Asked what he was doing on the boat, the suspect said, “I’m holding it for a friend.”
When the officers reply that the owner is standing right there, the suspect counters that “that’s not the owner.”
“The owner is Donald Trump,” the suspect says. “You guys aren’t supposed to be on here cause it’s maritime law.”
The officers suggest the suspect come with them to call his friend Donald Trump, but the suspect refuses, saying, “I don’t have to.”
The suspect goes on to describe himself as a U.S. Army veteran, though it’s unclear whether that is true. He further claims he is a member of the Hell’s Angels outlaw motorcycle club, “which protects the United States government, and I protect the President as well.”
The officers held a brief sidebar to consider how they would get the man off the boat while in custody, given a large gap over water between the boat and the dock. That’s when the officers learned the suspect was already wanted for allegedly stealing a motorcycle within the prior 48 hours.
“You mentioned that unless we have something to arrest you on, that you’re not gonna go; we do have something to arrest you on,” an officer said.
But when the suspect asked what that was, the officers just said they would explain later.
Backup from the Marine Patrol arrived in another boat, and officers declared “Taser ready” as they prepared to take him into custody. The suspect refused to stand up, however, and said once again that “This boat belongs to Donald Trump.”
The man, whose identity was not immediately released, was ultimately taken into custody on unspecified charges.