Man in jail after pulling BB gun on group of children, cops say
A Key Largo homeless man pulled what turned out to be a BB gun on a group of children who confronted him about trying to steal one of their bicycles Saturday evening, police say.
The children, who police have not identified or released their ages, thought the pistol was real — and ran in fear for their lives, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joel Torres wrote in his report.
The incident happened outside the Family Dollar store at mile marker 99.5 around 6 p.m.
A boy in the group was inside buying something. When he walked out of the store, he saw Everett Alan Coulter, 63, walking away with the bike, according to Torres’ report.
The boy caught up with Coulter, who released the bike and pulled the handgun from his waistband, Torres said.
Torres and four other deputies responded to the Family Dollar and found Coulter there sitting near some bushes. He had a shopping cart full of military “Meals Ready to Eat,” Torres wrote, and also a backpack and “other personal items.”
Next to him, buried beneath some dirt and leaves, deputies found the BB gun, according to Torres’ report. Coulter told deputies he had an altercation with the children after he moved one of their bikes from the road. He denied pulling out the gun.
Deputies arrested Coulter on one felony count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. He is in Plantation Key jail on a $5,000 bond.
This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 11:24 AM.
