BELMAR – In an effort to present the police side of the story about the events that led to the arrest of a surfer for not displaying a beach badge earlier this week, Police Chief Tina M. Scott has released footage of the incident from the arresting officer’s body camera.
“To be clear, Mr. Mahoney was not arrested for not having a beach badge,” Scott said. “He was arrested because he obstructed the officer’s investigation by refusing to give his identification or pedigree information. Mr. Mahoney was also advised he was not free to leave and continued to walk away during this encounter.”
On the recording, Liam Mahoney, 28, of Junction City, California, is seen questioning Class Two Special Officer Ryan Braswell’s authority to prevent him from accessing the 19th Avenue beach to surf in the ocean. Both men are standing not far from the edge of the shoreline in front of a staffed lifeguard stand…