Early Saturday morning in the waters off Wisteria Island, a late-night get-together on a 60-foot boat turned into a BB gun standoff that ended with a Key West man in handcuffs. Witnesses told deputies the man allegedly pointed what looked like a shotgun on board before another passenger wrestled it away and tossed it overboard. Monroe County deputies and U.S. Coast Guard units rushed to the scene, and officials later reported no life-threatening injuries.
Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies, with help from the U.S. Coast Guard, arrived around 12:48 a.m. after callers reported an armed man aboard the anchored vessel, according to a late-night BB gun confrontation report. The Sheriff’s Office dive team later searched the spot where the weapon was thrown and pulled up what investigators say turned out to be a BB gun, not a powder-burning firearm. The initial victim was found on a nearby sailboat and removed from the area for safety.
Onboard confrontation
Witnesses told investigators the suspect, identified by authorities as 36-year-old Preston Dane Parrish of Key West, had invited guests aboard the boat and then fallen asleep. When he woke up, people on board said he became enraged, grabbed what appeared to be a shotgun, and pointed it at a guest. Another passenger stepped in, disarmed him, and tossed the weapon into the water.
Deputies say Parrish initially gave a false name when they arrived. He was taken into custody and transported to the Monroe County Jail for processing, while investigators sorted out what had happened in the chaotic late-night scene offshore.
Charges and legal exposure
Parrish faces charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, giving a false name to law enforcement, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the report. Under Chapter 784 of the Florida Statutes, aggravated assault and aggravated battery are serious offenses that can carry felony penalties under state law, per the Florida Legislature.
The prohibition on giving a false name while arrested or lawfully detained is laid out in section 901.36, which may be charged as a misdemeanor or, in some situations, elevated to a felony, according to the Florida Legislature. Separate federal law also bars convicted felons from possessing firearms under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), a provision that the U.S. Code describes as a ban on possession by certain categories of people, including those with prior felony convictions.
Investigators have not publicly released any additional details about court dates or whether state or federal prosecutors will handle the firearm-related count. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is ongoing, and the case is expected to move into formal charging documents and court proceedings in the coming days.
