18 Army Rangers Suspended After Firing Blank Rounds At Crowded Florida Beach

Almost two dozen Army Rangers are in some pretty big trouble. The squad of Rangers allegedly fired blank rounds at a very crowded Florida beach. The incident happened during a pirate festival in Destin.

Now, the Army Rangers are facing suspension. The military is investigating 18 soldiers from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Camp Rudder. They allegedly used automatic weapons without permission. These weapons were used during a mock sea battle for the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival on Crab Island. According to Task & Purpose, beachgoers weren't aware of the weapons beforehand.

In videos going around online, uniformed Army Rangers members in boats fired their weapons into the air. One woman asked, startled, "Is that real?"

The stunt drew plenty of public backlash. Concerned citizens pointed out that you should not fake a shooting, especially in the current climate of America.

Army Rangers Suspended

"This is unacceptable because there are so many real mass shootings going on in America each year," said Michael Ingram, a local charter boat captain. "You can't be joking about it."

The weapons were used during a fake battle to capture Billy Bowlegs, a local legend. That's all good and fun, but it wasn't approved beforehand. The City of Fort Walton Beach is understandably peeved that the Army Rangers didn't seek prior approval.

"What happened at Crab Island was NOT part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, NOR was it approved by either the City of Fort Walton Beach or the Billy Bowlegs organization," the city wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. "A noise alert was sent out early Friday detailing the exact time frame and location of this 'battle,' as well as the noises that could be expected. This was the ONLY approved festival activity that involved the Army Rangers firing their weapons."

The entire thing resulted in police coming out after getting calls.

"The Army is aware of the incident that occurred at Crab Island," a spokesperson for the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning told the publication. "We take this situation seriously and are investigating. The Army will ensure accountability based on the outcome."