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Florida man in seaborne human hamster wheel arrested while trying to walk to London [1]
['Gareth Branwyn']
Date: 2023-09-06
A Florida man, Reza Baluchi, has been arrested by the US Coast Guard for attempting to walk on water to London in a "manifestly unsafe" craft, a giant human hamster wheel that he built.
Reza Baluchi was spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 70 nautical miles east of Tybee Island, Georgia on Aug. 26, according to a criminal complaint filed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Baluchi was in a homemade vessel held "afloat as a result of wiring and buoys," the complaint said.
When authorities sought to arrest Baluchi, he instead wielded a 12-inch knife, threatened to kill himself and claimed there was a bomb on board. He then led USCG officers on a multi-day chase as they coordinated with the US Navy to ensure safety from a potential bomb detonation.
The pursuit entered its third day on Aug. 28. The UCSG attempted to deliver food and water to Baluchi and warned him about Hurricane Idalia. Baluchi refused to leave the vessel again, but told officers that the bomb was not real.
Baluchi disembarked the next day and was brought ashore on Sept. 1 at the USCG Base in Miami. He now faces a criminal complaint of obstruction of a boarding and violation of a captain of the port order.
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