Coast Guard shoots engine, stops suspicious boat off Fort Myers Beach

The Coast Guard stopped a suspicious boat off Fort Myers Beach Wednesday night by shooting its engine after the captain failed to stop on command, a spokesman for the agency said. Petty Officer Robert Simpson said the agency received a call about the boat at 8 p.m. from the Lee County Sheriff's Office. He didn't elaborate about the nature of the call. When the Coast Guard approached the boat and requested the captain stop the engines, "It did not stop," Simpson said. The Coast Guard boat then fired "disabling shots," essentially shooting the engine of the suspect boat to stop it. Coast Guard officers then towed the boat to the Fort Myers Beach station, Simpson said. Officers from the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency were involved in the investigation, as well. Two... [read full story]