A Palm Harbor man faces charges after deputies say he pointed a handgun at five children riding electric bicycles near deBine Brewing Co. and later carried the weapon inside. Reports differ on whether the confrontation happened in the morning or at night, so the time remains unclear.
According to 10 Tampa Bay, 49-year-old Justin Merriam Ashbrook acknowledged an altercation but said he was unsure whether he drew his gun. The children told deputies they feared for their lives, the report says. Deputies later recovered a handgun from Ashbrook in the brewery’s bar area, according to IONTB. Whether he had been drinking before the parking-lot encounter has not been established.
Ashbrook was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed firearm without a license, 10 Tampa Bay reported. He was released on bond the following afternoon, according to jail records cited by the outlet. The charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.
The e-bike policy debate is a separate issue
Pinellas County commissioners have been exploring local e-bike ordinance options, St. Pete Catalyst reported; the options were under consideration, not adopted rules. That policy discussion provides local context, but it does not establish that a particular e-bike rule applied to the children or played a role in this confrontation.
The county says the Pinellas Trail is patrolled by a security task force representing the Sheriff’s Office and municipal law-enforcement agencies. Its trail information does not document enforcement of a specific e-bike speed limit, so it does not establish how such a limit is enforced there, according to the county. The available information does not connect trail patrols to the brewery incident.
The ages of the five children and whether nearby surveillance recorded the encounter have not been reported. The conflicting accounts of the incident’s time also remain unresolved.
