PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — You can find Luke Hatcher fishing anytime he gets the chance.
“It’s just fun. You go out there and chase the big ones,” said the 15-year-old.
Monday, Hatcher and his friend Tristen Smith were looking for big bass at a pond inside the gated Esplanade section of the Starkey Ranch community.
And as they were leaving, they were confronted by an angry resident with a knife.
“I was about to ask to pet his dog, too, but I waved hello to him. Next thing you know, without saying a word, he whips out his knife and starts cursing at me and starts chasing me around,” said Hatcher.
Hatcher pulled out his cell phone to record what was happening, and both boys ran out of the neighborhood.
Smith said he was a "little bit" scared during the incident.
“He chased us the first time, and then, in between it all, he decided to check the mail. Took a mail break. And then decided to chase us again,” said Hatcher.
Watch video of the man chasing after the two teenagers below.
The kids were able to memorize that mailbox and relay the info to Pasco Sheriff’s deputies.
They also showed deputies the video, leading to the arrest of the man with the knife, identified by authorities as Edward Cullum.
“The two things I thought right away are I’m glad they ran away from him instead of engaging and how brilliant it was to actually capture it on video,” said Hatcher's father, Chris.
Many neighborhoods often have issues about whether or not people can fish in ponds.
It is legal in public water, but then there is the question of whether those fishing are trespassing on private property where they are standing.
The HOA for Esplanade has a no-fishing rule even for residents.
Some in Esplanade say teens have been warned about trespassing before, while others in the neighborhood say there’s no excuse for pulling a knife.
“There’s no reason, no matter what they are doing, even if they are being disrespectful, which I wasn’t. But a knife being pulled on somebody is too much for that,” said Hatcher.
Hatcher admits they’ve been told not to fish in Esplanade before, and after this run-in, the kids don’t plan on going back.
“You threw my son under the bus. You didn't take care of him.”
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