Video footage has surfaced showing a policeman in Costa Rica shooting a gun while chasing a surfer away from a closed beach.
Video footage has surfaced showing a policeman in Costa Rica shooting a gun while chasing a surfer on a recently closed beach.
The grainy footage was posted to Instagram by Surfline on Saturday with the description: “Today in Costa Rica. Surfing is not allowed. Shots are fired. Please be safe out there and pay attention to any local laws, here and abroad.”
Viewers will note that the officer fires two shots at close proximity in a clear attempt to issue a powerful warning. Another surfer is seen sprinting in a different direction.
It was not clear whether the officer was firing live rounds or blanks. Surfline did not identify the person who provided the video clip.
Surfline also stated that Noe Mar McGonagle, a pro surfer who lives in Costa Rica, was arrested recently for surfing during a beach closure.
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McGonagle did not respond to messages sent by For The Win Outdoors, asking for details.
All beaches in Costa Rica have been closed to the public since March 23 to help stop the spread of COVID-19, or the coronavirus.
The Tico Times, an English-language newspaper/website, reported Sunday that the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Central American nation had surpassed 300.
Several countries have closed or restricted access to public beaches, and keeping surfers away has kept authorities busy.
(According to the Los Angeles Times, a surfer was fined $1,000 after ignoring warnings by police and lifeguards at Manhattan Beach in Southern California.)
Surfline’s Instagram post inspired more than 4,000 viewers to comment. Many were critical of the officer’s reaction and the beach closures.
One person wrote: “Are they popping off rounds at people just for surfing?”
Another chimed in: “Guy is surfing alone on a beach. That’s far better than walking into any store or living in a apartment complex. get ur … priorities straight.”
But many defended the closures and efforts to keep people from gathering on beaches.
Reads one such comment: “I’m Costa Rican, so many people are spreading fake news, the shots were not fired towards him, it was just to scare him.
“Not the best approach, but it was clearly stated by the government that we need to stay inside, if they let one person then more people will join and we don’t have enough resources to battle this pandemic if it gets really bad because people are not following social distancing.”
–Image and video courtesy of Surfline
