A 69-year-old man from Oak Park, Michigan, found himself in cuffs after a maritime misstep resulted in his boat slamming into a Macomb County Sheriff patrol vessel. The incident took place at the Jefferson Beach Marina on Lake St. Clair on the evening of July 5, as confirmed by the Sheriff's Office. Deputies, already busy with a stop for a minor violation, were caught off guard when their patrol boat, identified as Patrol Boat 4, was struck by a Sea Ray Cabin Cruiser.
In a video posted by the Macomb County Sheriff on X, the collision is shown through the lens of a deputy's body camera. Despite the serious nature of the crash, which included the Sea Joy Cabin Cruiser later hitting a seawall, there were no reported injuries. Investigations by authorities revealed that the Sea Ray was traveling faster than the slow, no-wake speed mandated in the marina area. CBS News Detroit reports that the impact caused damage to both the Sea Joy and the patrol boat, which remarkably remained in service following the encounter.
Citing a release from the sheriff's officials, The Detroit News stated the man operating the Sea Ray exhibited signs of impairment on field sobriety tests and was taken to the Macomb County Jail to await charges.
According to WWJ Newsradio, the subsequent arrest of the Sea Ray's captain underscores a series of recent unfortunate events on Metro area waterways, including a drowning and multiple injuries stemming from separate incidents.
