Cops cited a man after they found his 8-year-old son operating a Jet Ski off the coast of Lido Key, Fla. (Sarasota Police Department).
Cops busted a dad for allowing his 8-year-old son to ride a Jet Ski by himself off the coast of Florida.
The Sarasota Police Department posted a video to its social media showing officers' encounter with the boy and his father on June 14 off the coast of Lido Key on the Gulf Coast.
The Marine Patrol Unit was out on the water when officers saw the young boy alone. They noted there were several other vessels on the water with rough currents.
"Where's your parents?" a cop asked.
The boy pointed to his dad and the police officers asked him to take them to him.
Cops followed the boy to his dad and confronted him.
"That's your son on the Jet Ski?" the officer asked. "What's going on with that?"
The dad seemed to know he was busted.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," he told the cop. "I really don't think he's legal to ride, right? But we've had Jet Skis on the lake for the last few years and he's very proficient."
Officers asked how old the boy was and the father confirmed he was 8 years old.
"And you thought he was legal out here?"
In fact, it was not legal for the boy to operate a personal watercraft, cops said. Kids have to be at least 14 years old to drive one. The father, who cops did not identify, was charged with a second-degree misdemeanor and will have to appear in court at a later date.
No other details were immediately released.