MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WITN) — A video has gone viral depicting an incident where a golf course worker confiscated a bicycle belonging to 17-year-old Shawn Dipersio and attempted to seize his fishing rod. The staff member claimed Dipersio was trespassing; however, Dipersia is actually a resident of the area, which led to law enforcement intervention.
"It was really frightening; he was simply terrorizing us and destroying my belongings," states Dipersio.
On Saturday, April 5th, Dipersio states that he and his sister decided to go fishing at the pond situated inside the local golf course within their community. Suddenly, a man riding a golf cart came up to them swiftly and informed them that they needed to depart as they were considered trespassers.
"I was basically saying, you understand, I'm just asking questions because I haven’t done anything wrong," explains Dipersio.
Persiano states that he consistently fishes at the pond and has never encountered any problems or noticed any "No Trespassing" signs previously; nonetheless, signage prohibiting entry has been put up along the route, according to his family, which wasn't present on Saturday.
After informing the man that they were not engaged in any wrongdoing and insisting on continuing their fishing activity, he mentions that was when the teenager claimed the situation escalated out of control.
"So I made a cast, and at that moment, he grabbed hold of me and attempted to pull me away from my fishing rod. He seemed really hostile towards me, you understand. I was frightened and had no idea how to react," Dipersio explains.
The footage subsequently depicts the individual departing with Dipersio’s bicycle; however, the vehicle was eventually returned once Carteret County Sheriff deputies reached the location to document the occurrence in an incident report.
Dipersio’s father states that such behavior is unacceptable, particularly for someone who has reached adulthood.
"I mean, what values are we imparting to young people today? Encouraging them to overreact to such minor incidents. These individuals were simply fishing; they didn't steal anything, nor did they engage in vandalism or graffiti. Essentially, they were just appreciating nature," states George Raniolo.
The Carteret County Sheriff's Office reports that as of now, no charges have been brought against the individual featured in the video or against Dipersio and his relatives.
Following the altercation, the individual featured in the video no longer retains his position at the golf course, as stated by the facility's general manager.
WITN spoke with the individual, who was instructed by their attorney not to disclose their version of events at present and had nothing additional to add.
Persico’s father states his intention to visit a magistrate with the aim of filing charges.
