Nearly two dozen Army Rangers have reportedly been suspended after wild videos surfaced online allegedly showing the soldiers firing several blank rounds at a crowded Florida beach during a local pirate festival.
According to Task & Purpose, 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 on Friday.
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, terrifying beachgoers. “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.
“This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year,” said Michael Ingram, a local charter boat captain. “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.
“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 on 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.
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. “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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